From a few hundred bucks to CIO: A Journey of Resilience, Purpose and Breaking Barriers

By: Shuchi Wadhwa, Racine County CIO

As we celebrate Women’s History Month and all the phenomenal women who have added to the rich tapestry of our existence, I reflect on my own journey to see where I started and how my existence has added to the tapestry that has defined our world. This exercise really made me reflect on where I came from and where I am now especially since I have two daughters of my own – how do I instill in them that “well-behaved women seldom make history”? By no means am I encouraging them to be disobedient but rather to push aside the boundaries and obstacles that have long confined women’s opportunities and abilities.

Forty-four years ago, my family arrived in America from India with nothing but a few hundred dollars and a dream. That money wasn’t just currency, it was my parents’ unwavering faith, their silent prayers, and the weight of every sacrifice they made for me and eventually my younger brother. I remember watching them work tirelessly, my mother initially taking on odd jobs, my father pushing through every setback, both carrying the burden of starting over in a foreign land. For me, that money and watching my parents, helped me to understand the power of the human spirit…the incredible capacity for hard work and dreaming and falling and getting back up again.

You see, I come from a great lineage of ancestors, ancestors that lived in a very poor third-world country, ancestors that not only built an entire town and its infrastructure from nothing back in the early 1900s in present-day Pakistan, these ancestors of mine never saw the differences in people but just how to make everyone equal to fight for and build on the land that they all shared. With the social injustices happening in my country in the early 1900s, my maternal great-grandfather, Sahib Das Ram Bagai, who built schools and hospitals for this town, fought for the rights of the people in that town until his last breath… irrespective of their religion. He believed that the cure for all the suffering of all people lies only in justice and equality. With his dedication to building a town where all people can prosper and his selflessness, there stands tall a statue of him in the town square of my ancestral town in Pakistan. His legacy reminds me daily: how dare I not become my ancestors’ wildest dreams? And that is exactly my story – of how I ended up where I am today. On how I rose from nothing, except the fire in my heart, to fulfill my legacy, just as my great-grandfather did. I am here to tell you, that it was not easy, it took a lot of discipline, a lot of grit, a lot of tears, and a lot of hustle. But I stand before you today as the Chief Information Officer for Racine County.

Back in the day when my great-grandfather built my ancestral town, women had no place in making the world better for everyone…what they were tasked to do however was to make sure that their family, also known as their world, was taken care of and most importantly fed. Yes…we put a great deal of emphasis on food and how it brings the family together. It’s true – that is where women belonged…in the kitchen, cooking, cleaning, and ensuring their family was happy and healthy while the men of the family worked to make money.

You will notice I said “belonged” in the kitchen – I am here to tell you that is NOT the primary place for a woman. Just like it was NOT the place for me! From a very young age, my parents saw the fire in me and saw that I will not succumb to traditional roles – I was meant to do something better… something greater than even myself…I was not going to lose my opportunity to take after my great-grandfather’s footsteps to leave a legacy…even if I was a girl.

Growing up, I struggled to fit in. I was different not just because of my gender, but because of my name, my skin, and my traditions. I remember the sting of feeling out of place, of trying to shrink parts of myself to blend in. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t meant to stay small. I sought out challenges, chased after the hardest problems, and through serendipitous events, found my calling in technology – a field where women like me were rare. I learned early that resilience wasn’t just a skill; it was survival. And that sometimes, standing alone is necessary before you find the people who see your worth. An interesting fact – women make up more than half of the population and potential. So, it is not practical for your voices…our voices…to go unheard!

“The best advice I read while I was in school was to not attach yourself to a person, a place, a company, or a project. Attach yourself to only a mission, a calling, a purpose. “

Today, as the CIO for Racine County, I carry these lessons with me every day. My role is more than just managing technology – it’s about building bridges, fostering trust, and using innovation to serve people. I oversee initiatives that modernize government services, enhance cybersecurity, and make technology more accessible. But what drives me most is the ability to create impact – helping to shape a future where efficiency meets compassion, where government isn’t just a system, but a force for good.

Technology offers great insight into what can be possible with just a little bit of imagination and determination. This realization is currently taking me on a journey to lay the foundation for a Regional Security Operations Center (SOC) – the first ever in Wisconsin! I saw a need to bring organizations together to strengthen our region’s cybersecurity posture. Cyber threats do not discriminate – they impact businesses, governments, and individuals alike. By creating a collaborative SOC model, we will have built a shield of resilience, ensuring that local entities, big and small, have the resources to defend against ever-evolving threats. This initiative has become a testament to the power of innovation and collective action, proving that when we come together, we can achieve something far greater than we ever could alone. Would this become my legacy?

My path to this role wasn’t straight. I started in translation, leveraging my language skills to help military personnel navigate war zones. I never imagined that experience would lead me to cybersecurity and to government leadership. But life has a way of weaving purpose into the unexpected. I’ve faced doubt, failure, and moments where I questioned if I belonged. But every time I fell, I got back up. Because my parents didn’t cross oceans for me to give up. Because I owe it to the girl I once was – the one who refused to be told where she belonged.

This message isn’t just for women. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt like they had to prove themselves twice as hard. It’s for the ones who were told no, who were overlooked, who had to carve their own path when none existed. Technology isn’t just about computers, it’s about breaking barriers, about redefining what’s possible, about using every tool at our disposal to make the world more just, more efficient, and more connected.

To anyone reading this: You are more than your circumstances. Your journey may not look like mine, but your fire is just as powerful. When the world tells you to wait for an invitation, build your own table. And as the famous rapper, Eminem, says when your moment comes – when you have one shot, one opportunity – take it, own it, and never let it go. Success looks different for everyone – the future isn’t waiting for permission – it’s waiting for women like us to lead it!