From Odisha village to top cybersecurity analyst in US: An inspirational journey of Prachi Mahapatra

Odisha, the land of Lord Jagannath, has many blessed individuals who hold immense talent and the ability to make it big on the global stage. Carrying one such story is a woman, Prachi Mahapatra, who went from a small village in Odisha to becoming a top cybersecurity analyst in the US.

Narrating her tale to India Today, she detailed the steps of her journey that saw her shatter barriers to becoming a Product Manager in cybersecurity at Cisco in a field where women hold just 26 percent of roles and only 8 percent have leadership positions.

Born into a defence family, Prachi learned discipline early from her father, Warrant Officer Prakash Mohapatra of the Indian Air Force. After earning a Bachelor’s in Computer Applications from Chennai, she joined Amazon in Bengaluru as an Amazon Tech Analyst.

Exposure to the tech industry ignited her ambition to lead in cybersecurity, with her initially joining Cisco as a Business Analyst but soon rising to Project Manager within three years.

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However, she aimed for more. “I wanted to understand deeper about the workings of businesses and technology,” she added to explain her desire to pursue a Master’s in Business Analytics at the University of Texas.

Financial hurdles nearly derailed her dreams with education costs exceeding Rs 40 lakh. To aid, her father offered to sell property, but Prachi opted for a Prodigy Finance loan and fortunately, it was approved without collateral in 20 days.

Moving to the US brought cultural shocks, but support from family, her father’s discipline, and her mother’s determination kept her grounded.

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Now at Cisco, Prachi tackles AI-driven cybersecurity threats and aims to fuel US innovation before returning to India in 5–10 years to bolster its tech growth. Remarkably, she repaid her loan within six months.

As STEM fields grow, Prachi Mahapatra’s story is a beacon for every Odia, especially women, who want to make their lives large.