PROFILE 2019 | WORLD’S BEST WORKPLACES
CONTENT FROM CISCO
EMPLOYEES AT CISCO, THE NETWORKING
and software giant based in San Jose,
are perhaps best known for creating
technology that builds bridges to places
that once seemed impossible to reach.
But they’re also building other kinds of
bridges—ones that help them give back
to communities across the globe. Meet
Alphonsine Imaniraguha, a network
consulting engineer who survived the
Rwandan genocide and now works to
empower at-risk youth, and Casie Shi-
mansky, a copywriter and content editor
who has raised close to $100,000 for
children’s cancer research in memory of
her younger sister, Kellie.
Imaniraguha was 13 years old when
the 1994 Rwandan genocide was per-petrated. Almost 1 million citizens lost
their lives, including Imaniraguha’s father,
mother, a brother, and one of her sisters.
Despite her grief, and while raising her
three younger siblings, Imaniraguha
earned full scholarships to universities in
Rwanda and the U.S. Two years after join-
ing Cisco in 2010, she started a nonprofit,
Rising Above the Storms, that raises
funds to help underprivileged kids in her
home country get an education.“I could have been one of them,”
Imaniraguha says. “Seeing how Cisco
has enabled me to do something I love
so much, I can’t imagine a better feeling
in the world.”
For Shimansky, bald is not only
beautiful, it’s bountiful. She has raised
more than $54,000 by twice shaving her
vibrant, 19-inch purple locks. Next year
will mark her 10th year volunteering (and
third time shaving) for the St. Baldrick’s
Foundation, a private funder of childhood
cancer research grants, where she is the
captain of team Live Out Loud, which
has raised $85,000 to date. Founded by
Shimansky after Kellie passed away in
2004 at the age of 18, she chose a team
name that would inspire people to pursue
their dreams and conquer their fears—
exactly what Cisco wants for its 74,000
employees.
“There is true support at Cisco in career
growth, growing your family, and even for
hard work volunteering in our communi-
ties,” Shimansky says. “Cisco’s culture is
a testament to being human, to wanting
to change the world, and to being the
bridge that gets us there. I’ve worked for
a lot of good companies over the course
of my career, but absolutely none have
compared to Cisco.” ■Encouraged to dream big, be themselves, and give back,
Cisco employees are committed to helping their customers
and their communities.Cisco’s Cultureof Giving BackABOVE: Alphonsine (center) with some of the Rwandan
children supported by her nonprofit. BELOW: Casie
(second from left) celebrates a win for “Best Use
of Social Media” with her @WeAreCisco team.