Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sejal Thakkar. Sejal was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Sulavon Bollinger.
Sejal, thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I graduated with honors from University of Illinois at Chicago and Cum Laude from Northern Illinois College of Law. After moving to Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area in 2000, Sejal experienced discrimination, up close and personal, at a very early age. As the daughter of immigrants from India, I was bullied and ridiculed at my elementary and high school. Though I am a native born American who speaks unaccented English, I was not spared. Once my classmates discovered that the store across the street from their school was owned by my immigrant parents who did have accents, my problems began. Suddenly, I was “the marginal other” in a country I’d been born in. These childhood experiences left a lasting impression which helped me transmute a negative experience into a positive call to action for change. Within me came about a passion to use my experiences and my legal knowledge to educate others on the topics of civility, discrimination, bullying, and harassment.
We’ve heard great things about your organization. For our readers who might not be as familiar, can you please tell them about the organization?
Effective training is a valuable tool in reducing workplace harassment, especially when it is incorporated into a holistic culture of non-harassment. Training is most effective when it is tailored to the specific workforce and workplace and provided to all employees. Workplace civility training that focuses on promoting respect and civility in the workplace along with focused training on eliminating unwelcome or offensive behavior that is based on characteristics protected under the anti-discrimination laws are essential for all employees. With her natural ability to engage, inspire, and connect to her audience, Sejal successfully educates on these topics, as well as others, for a variety of public and private sector clients all over the globe.
Sulavon Bollinger has been a great friend to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Sulavon and your experience with them.
Sulavon is a wonderful host. She was welcoming and engaging. I connected with her right away.
Website: www.trainxtra.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sejalthakkar
