Anything is Possible - Community Leader Ramila Thakkar Shares Advice for the Next Generation of Leaders
From the rolling Khasi and Jaintia Hill of Meghalaya to the rich cultural metropolis that is Boston, today’s woman dreamer, Ramila Thakkar is on a mission to serve her communities (with a dream of clocking 50 years of community service, A Past President & Current Trustee of Gurjar (Gujarati Association of New England), Shishu Bharti Schools, Vice President of Saheli Advisory Board, and a fulfilling career in the Finance department at Lahey Hospitals, Ramila lives her life with the vision that anything is possible.
Tell us your story. Where did you grow up, and how did you start your exciting life’s journey?
My journey from the rolling Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya to the rich cultural metropolis of Boston has been nothing short of a fairy tale. I grew up in Shillong, a small hill station, where one never saw a beggar on the streets. The Khasis are the matrilineal society where children receive their mother’s last name, husbands move into their wives’ homes and the youngest daughter inherits the ancestral property. I grew up in a society where women were cherished, respected and empowered, the birth of a girl child was celebrated with aplomb and the arrival of a son was commented, ‘maybe better luck next time’.
My educational journey began with St. Joseph’s and ended with St. Mary’s College graduating with BA honors in Economics and Political Science.
I migrated to the USA in 1972, after my marriage and having lived in Mumbai for one year I landed in New York in awe and petrified of the city, bustling with people, skyscrapers that blocked sunshine on the streets. After six months in NY we moved to Boston, our home for the last four decades.
2. You are a community leader. Tell us about your service journey?
As a child an indelible mark was made by my parents, the community service bug was planted since childhood. in 1984 I joined Shishu Bharati, the Indian Cultural School in Burlington, with a twofold purpose, one to teach and the other to learn Gujarati culture.
After serving Shishu Bharati for 10 years, in 1994 I joined Gujarati Association of NE (referred as Gurjar) as a secretary later holding other positions. In 2019 after 25 years of continuous service, I retired from the Executive Committee and volunteered to help the Gurjar Constitution committee, for a mammoth task undertaken to update and amend the 44 years old constitution. I have been recently elected as a Trustee of the newly established Gurjar Board of Trustees. In my Gurjar journey, I am most grateful to three outstanding individuals, Bipin Parekh, Eshani Shah and Deval Kamdar for their support throughout. What Gurjar gave me for my Gujarati cultural growth is tremendous gift since I had very little exposure to it in childhood.
For those who may not know about Gurjar, it’s one of the oldest non-profit cultural organizations in the NE area. It was formed in 1977 primarily to celebrate the Gujarati Raas Garba during Navratri. Gurjar has evolved with the demands of the changing times. There are many highlights of the history, which one can catch on their website. During my first Presidency in 1996 I had initiated a cook book project with recipes submitted by the members. During my second presidency in the year 2018-2019 as Gurjar when celebrating its 40th anniversary, so many first-time-ever events were planned, the first Casino Night fundraiser followed by the Heritage Fest on the Lowell promenade, Supermom competitions, where three generation of women could showcase their talent on the same platform. The highlight was the, NECA, (New England Choice Award) award bestowed upon Gurjar, as the best non-profit organization in New England.
I believe my contribution to Gurjar would be my strong communication and organizational skills, discipline and punctuality. I can often be a tough task-master, the word commitment is a sacred mantra to me.
In June 2019 as I stepped down from the Gurjar EC board, Dr. Manju Sheth invited to me to join the ‘Saheli’ Advisory Board, (Saheli, which means a girlfriend, is a domestic violence support group) I am currently the Vice-Chair of this board. This group is very close to my heart. The plight of women and children affected by domestic violence is truly gut wrenching. I hope to make some difference in their lives.
In 2018, I was nominated for Woman of the Year and I was in the top 20. That was the biggest confidence booster of my life.
My community services be it educational, cultural or humanitarians has been an enriching experience. I am thankful to each individual on this journey for making me a better person.
3. You also have a career in the corporate finance world, in healthcare finance. Tell us more about your professional journey?
I am a business man’s daughter, so finance is in my blood. Science and math were never an option. I shriek at the sight of a mouse and could never see the difference between an acute and an obtuse angle. I started my professional journey with St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton in 1973, in the billing dept. Later as a budget analyst I was inspired by my then manager, I decided to join Bentley College for accounting studies.
in 1984 I came to Lahey Clinic in Burlington, as a senior member of the staff I worked mostly under the Corp VP of Finance. I lived through five administrative changes in my tenure at Lahey, each new CEO brought in a new challenge, fortunately I withstood those times. I was a member of HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Assoc.) that provided me tools to stay ahead of all the legislative changes in financial reporting. I recently retired from Lahey after 36 years in the Finance Dept.
4. What is your advice to the next generation of young professionals? What are your top three tips?
Hone in your communication skills, often your verbal presentation becomes more important, than narrating your achievements and academia. Hard work and good ethics speed up the ascend.
Never sweat the small stuff, pettiness exhausts the energies. If you wish to soar with eagles, don’t let the turkeys (negative people) pull you down.
Be humble and apologize if you have erred, arrogance and attitude has brought ‘mighty’ to their knees. Life’s oxygen is family and friends, always be grateful for them.
5. What is your next big dream, and who are some people in your life that you are thankful for?
I believe there’s a lot more to do, I would like to get involved with the youth of this generation. I truly admire their vision of ‘anything is possible’. My motivation comes from my forever curious mind and the positive people that surround me. My dream is to someday cross the finishing line with 50 years of community service
My deepest gratitude to the elite team of “Women who win Dreamcatchers” for honoring me by acknowledging my contribution to the community and letting me share my story. My heartfelt love and gratitude to my friends and family, my daughter, Anita, my son-in-law Hiral Shah and my two precious grandkids, Avi and Reva. Most importantly my husband, Praful without his continuous love and support, none of my dreams would come true.
Thank you Ramila for sharing your powerful story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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