Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandhya Jalakam.
Hi Sandhya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I came to the states in 2010 and currently live in Dallas. I’m originally from southern India from a city called Hyderabad. I’ve always had great ambitions in life, I wanted to become an astronaut and decided to pursue a degree in Aerospace. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take that up so ended up graduating in Mechanical engineering. It is a stream where there is less girl to boy ratio, despite a lot of people saying there is little scope to grow, I challenged myself to pursue a Master’s degree in Mechanical engineering and worked as a Product Development Engineer for 4 Major companies so far. I’m proud to be utilizing my skills in the field where I studied and worked hard. Also, I started blogging on Instagram recently with a passion for Food and Fashion. I wanted to be a Foodie Fashionista 😉 Where Gastronomy meets Haute Couture (Love this tagline).
I’ve done 13 Food collaborations with amazing restaurants in Dallas and also a few fashion-related so far. I take pride because I’ve done all of this by carrying my infant baby girl with me for shoots. Of course, all this wouldn’t have been possible without my amazing partner who is my major support system.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The journey of life is never smooth. Coming to America as an Immigrant for higher education had its own challenges of extreme homesickness, huge cultural shock, adapting to a new culture and accent. But, I constantly try to focus on grooming myself and started embracing my true self for the betterment.
I always knew I wanted to be extremely independent and self-sustainable. Being independent gives anybody immense confidence. Life keeps throwing me curveballs but I always wanted to hit home runs irrespective of the risks involved. My husband and I were in a long distance relationship pursuing careers in different parts of the country. I chose to move closer to him to complete our family but unfortunately due to immigration troubles my career was being held down. I fought back and landed in an amazing role that’s beyond Engineering but ended up losing it due to Covid. I nourish a beautiful child while exploring what is more to life than just a 9-5 Job. I knew I wanted to do something for myself for the longest time and wasn’t too sure of what it was thinking the fact that I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. I utilized this time and took a step to invest more time on the Instagram blogosphere with a passion for Food, Fashion and lifestyle. Juggling with blogging and raising a child is no joke with no extra hand but us three as a family have been each other’s backbone. I love this new phase of life, after all challenges are what make life interesting! ‘’In life be a fighter, not a Quitter!’’
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a Senior Engineer at a HVAC company. I have a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with nine years of professional experience. I’m proud to be one of the few female engineers in the manufacturing industry.
My Food collaborations started when my baby was nine months old and I’ve had the opportunity to work with great people and successfully finished 13 collaborations within a span of three months. As new parents, we have had a lot of challenges but all this wouldn’t have been accomplished without my baby’s cooperation.
My Google reviews crossed 5million reviews as of today. This is definitely a proud moment for me. I feel joy in creating compelling stories on restaurants meals and love to help people by sharing my knowledge as we are aware of how powerful reviews are in today’s digitalized world.
I don’t know if something sets me apart from others as everyone has their own journey, talent and unique inspiring story. I believe in a few mantras though:
– Life is too short so live the way YOU want to live.
– Never have any regrets in life. This happens when one gains the ability to make self decisions.
– Have grit, determination and self-confidence. Take a leap of faith, for sure you’re going to break that glass ceiling.
Any big plans?
No big changes on my radar but I’m planning to dedicate more time on social media (Instagram) because I discovered this is where my interest and passion lies. My goal is to be helpful to others by sharing whatever little knowledge I gather.
I want to travel more and discover the world through food. I’m open to receiving all that the universe has to offer.
Contact Info:
- Email: jalakam.sandhya@gmail.com
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Sandy_contrive
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandy_contrive/
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/iWu8p9y5cyyDCJ8FA
Image Credits
Raghuveer Naidu Madhu Swetha photography
