Toastmasters Project 1
Ramesh Chamala’s Ice Breaker Speech
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Title - The American Dream
Mr. (or Madam) Toastmaster, Ladies and gentlemen and guests:
I would like to introduce myself to you, tell little bit about me and my ambition to pursue the “American Dream”.
My name is Ramesh Chamala. I was born in a small town in South Central India. I went to one of the best English medium missionary schools in Hyderabad. I completed up to my undergraduate education in India. I was a mediocre student, but actively participated in athletic activities like Badminton, Cricket and also in debating competitions.
I come from a family of five. My parents, my sister and brother live in India. My Mom, a house wife raised all of us. My Father just turned 75 and is still very active in the field of Public Relations, Journalism and Communication. He authored 19 books and is considered father of Public relations in India. My Sister is the principle of a very renowned and prestigious IT school in India. My Brother is a successful business man in Hyderabad.
At the age of 26, I came to United States –“The Land of opportunity” for higher education and to pursue the American Dream.
I was the first person from the Chamala family to come to the United States.
Education
I went to Texas A&M University in Kingsville and at College Station, Texas where I completed my Master’s Degree. Moving to Texas from India was definitely a cultural shock for me.
Tupperware Party—A few months into graduate school I had a flyer on my Apartment door “You are invited to a Party”. Wow, I was all excited and my mind was going crazy thinking about the beer, girls, dancing etc…” I told all my friends about the party at the graduate office. They were all excited and all wanted to join the party. I took the flyer to college next day to share with friends who wanted to join the party. They had a big laugh and I was a little embarrassed to find out that the flyer was an invitation to a “Tupperware Party”. On that day I found out what a “Tupperware Party” was. All my friends advised me never to attend a Tupperware party.
Bumper Sticker—I used to have a bumper sticker when I lived in Texas—“I was not born here, but I got here as fast I could”.
I was the President of the International Students Organization at Texas A&M University. We had students from about 132 countries.
Career—I began my first job as a Research Assistant at Texas A&M University and put myself through college. I was fortunate to get a merit scholarship that enabled me to complete my graduate school. After completing my M.S., I joined Texas A&M University as a Visiting Instructor and taught two undergraduate classes.
I have over 15 years of Information Technology experience in the areas of Oracle, PeopleSoft, Data Warehousing and GIS. My 15 years of IT experience in the U.S. spans across state agencies, universities, public and private companies. I also have quite a bit of teaching experience. As an Adjunct Faculty, I taught computer science and related classes at Texas A&M University, UC Riverside Extension, Hawaii Pacific University, J. Sargeant Reynolds and John Tyler Community Colleges.
In between jobs I was also working on a PhD program in Computer Information Systems at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I completed around 18 Hrs of college credits. But I had to discontinue due to continued pressure from work.
I became a US citizen in 1998 when I was in Virginia.
I joined Supervalu Inc. as a Sr. Systems Engineer in February of 2006. I was managing PeopleSoft Payroll—a critical system at Supervalu. I was recognized for my outstanding contributions in supporting the PeopleSoft Payroll System. I received the IT excellence award from Paul Singer in Minneapolis last year.
As a Sr. Team Lead with the Database Services Team, I am now overseeing Oracle implementations for Supervalu.
Conclusion—I want to conclude by saying “Many immigrants come to America—the land of opportunity to live the American Dream”. Piyush "Bobby" Jindal the son of immigrants from India who was recently elected Governor of Louisiana. Indra Nooyi brought global fame when she became President and CEO of American PepsiCo International. These are just a few shining examples of Indian immigrants in America. But some of us in our own simple way are trying to make the “American Dream”
I learned great things through this incredible journey, which made me a better person.
So there you have it. You have met me. My name is Ramesh Chamala an immigrant from India pursuing the “American Dream”.
Thank You.
