BlogOHANA ERG
Blog • • 3 minute read

Finding Ohana: How I Built My Community After Moving From Nepal

Learn how I've built a personal and professional community here in St. Louis through social media, professional organizations and World Wide Technology's Ohana ERG.

Hi, I'm Riwaj an analyst in the BAA team here in World Wide Technology. I am originally from Kathmandu, Nepal and came to the United States to pursue my undergrad. After finishing school, I moved to St. Louis, and not knowing anyone from here, I was eager to make connections — both personally and professionally.  

Before landing in St Louis, I had found a Facebook group called "Nepali People in STL," so I made a post introducing myself. Surprisingly, I got DMs from about 25 Nepalis living in St. Louis, welcoming me to this beautiful city! Fast forward ten months, and I regularly play soccer with people from the Nepali community and even celebrate cultural events together like Holi and Nepal Fest. Finding this group allowed me to forge friendships through social media and bring some familiarity to a new city. 

Another priority was to continue my focus on professional growth and connections. My first contact with World Wide Technology came during my junior year at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. I was part of an entrepreneurship club and we had invited Tim Brooks, an alum of W&L and a managing director on the consulting services team here at WWT, to give a talk on AI. I was fascinated by the subject, and after talking with Tim in more detail about how WWT is actively leaning into AI through strategic partnerships and hardware sales that run big-data algorithms, I knew WWT would be a great place to start my career in consulting. And sure enough, two years later, I joined the team. 

Aside from the unique tech and services offerings that drew me into this organization, I found it admirable that World Wide Technology makes a commendable effort to have inclusive policies. WWT's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, such as offering a "Day of Observance," meant that I got to celebrate one the biggest festivals in Hindu culture called Tihar (Diwali) with my St Louis friends, and it was extra special for me as it was my first time celebrating in 5 years. Another program that has had a truly positive impact on me is the company's "Day of Caring" initiative, which gives people a paid day off to go out in the community and volunteer with an organization of their choice.   

Another aspect of World Wide Technology's DE&I efforts that has helped me build a community at work is their Employee Resource Group (ERG) program. When I joined WWT, I also joined Ohana, our Asian and Pacific Islander ERG. Ohana has been an excellent platform for me to connect with other young working professionals with an Asian background. Through Ohana, I was able to obtain a membership with Asian American Chamber of Commerce St. Louis (AACC), where I got the opportunity to network with local business owners along with people working in tech and finance. Talking to individuals that have walked in the career path I want to follow and have faced similar challenges that I have to face helps me further refine my career goals and make meaningful choices.  

As I continue to grow professionally here at World Wide Technology, I am grateful for the space and opportunity to be myself, to be Nepali and celebrate the contributions and culture of Asians around the world.