Mile 365. Off trail, day 3 of 3. A star.

Janice Cutinho is a star.   Well.   Officially, she’s a “Rising Star”.   

Today in New York City, Healthcare Businesswoman’s Association (HBA) honors my incredibly talented friend and former direct report.  I can think of no one more deserving.

Janice grew up on a small humble rice farm outside of Mangalore, India.   To keep the patio cool during the sweltering summers, Janice’s job was to spread cow dung on the floor, then compress it down to a hard surface.   With her hands.   She did this once a month to keep it fresh. 

Consistent with long-standing Indian tradition, her parents’ number one goal was to raise Janice to attract a nice young Indian boy.  Her mission was to get married; and to reproduce; and to repeat the cycle.  Her brother, on the other hand, was encouraged to go to school.   As a male, he had promise.   He had a future.   This is where the real family investments were made.

The double standard fueled Janice with a fiery drive.   She was going to do things differently.   She was going to build her own future.

At a young sixteen years old, Janice ran away to the big city of Mumbai.   Penniless, she convinced benefactors of her passion for learning.   One semester at a time, she was able to convince one more person to pay for her next round of tuition.   She didn’t have the luxury of long-term planning.    Rather, she was about relentless survival - one semester at a time.  

Graduation was the first of many victories in Janice’s life.   A deep-seated, unwavering belief in herself, combined with a come-what-may courage to throw herself into the unknown, and peppered with a rare vulnerability to ask for help:  this is Janice’s secret sauce.   

Future victories took Janice from Mumbai, to Singapore, to Indiana, and ultimately to Raleigh, North Carolina where she lives now with her supportive husband, Justin, and their Newfoundland dog, Gus.  At Labcorp, she is a Senior Director for the PM Academy that identifies and develops young talent into biopharmaceutical clinical trial leaders.

Janice doesn’t just survive any longer.    She thrives.    And she inspires.