August’s Woman of the Month has made an impact on the Salesforce Ohana in a relatively short time. Congratulations to Bhanu Devaguptapu, Systems Specialist II. Bhanu joined Salesforce a little less than two years ago but she’s been a Trailblazer for nearly a decade, having worked in the Salesforce ecosystem in the years prior at several partners.

Today, she works on Salesforce’s System Engineering team in Business Technology. We spoke with her about her career, her passion for service, and the guiding principle she lives by that helps her overcome challenges. Here’s what she said:

Q: Tell me about your role at Salesforce.

A: My team supports the platforms used by our sales and service representatives. Our job is to identify process gaps, figure out where we can implement new technology, and try to make selling to customers easier. When the company releases new capabilities for external customers, we say, ‘Why don’t we implement it for our work?’ We’re always looking to try new things.

Q: You live by an interesting saying. Can you tell us more about it?

A: The saying is, “It’s not what you deserve, it’s what you believe in.” It means that you can’t wait for opportunities to happen, you have to make them happen. It comes from my life in India. I came from a lower middle-class family but always wanted to come to the United States. People told me I couldn’t do it, but I always had a belief in myself and here I am. I still have that belief in myself. I joined Salesforce as a contractor, gave it my best and was hired full-time. So many of us see obstacles ahead instead of the potential inside. What you believe in will drive you and make you stand at the top.

Q: How does that belief come to play at Salesforce?

A: I think we pass our passion and positive energy to the people around us. I try to build strong relationships with everyone around me, not restricting myself to work. This personal bonding has helped me to understand my colleagues in a better way and has made work fun, rather than just ‘work as work.’ I treat every deliverable as crucial and deliver my best. And I tell the people who I mentor, ‘Talk, tell your vision to people of what you want to be or where you want to go. Be focused on your vision. Do your best. And be patient; it takes time to get results. Anything can be achieved.’

Q: Where does your drive to learn and grow come from?

A: I think it comes from my mom, who was a teacher. I pursued my studies because of her encouragement. I became the first person to graduate in my whole family. She used to tell me, ‘Be a shoulder for other women, not to yourself.’ Today, my mom works for a nonprofit organization in India that helps economically-challenged children. My mother’s work helped me decide to volunteer with underprivileged children in San Francisco. Helping them helps me feel more connected to my home and family and I get so much out of helping them believe in themselves and their endless possibilities.

Bhanu’s a great example of the impact women at Salesforce are having on the company and the world. And she’s just getting started. Next up: leadership and management classes at Berkeley so she can learn how to pass her energy and passion on to team members while continuing to deliver technical solutions to the business.

To hear more from Bhanu, make sure to connect with her on LinkedIn – and stay tuned for our next edition of Salesforce Woman of the Month, coming your way in September.

The Salesforce Woman of the Month campaign turns the spotlight on the amazing women who help make Salesforce one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies according to Forbes and one of Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For. Honorees are nominated by fellow employees and selected by a dedicated committee that works to ensure a variety of roles and regions are honored.