There Are More Skies Ahead

I went to SOAR 2026 expecting to celebrate an award. I came home thinking much more about the people, choices, and versions of myself that brought me there.

Receiving the Bluebird Leaders People’s Choice Award was incredibly special. But there is also something uniquely humbling about receiving an award with the word people in it.

Because when I look at my journey, I see people everywhere.

People who opened doors before they had any reason to know where those doors might lead. People who said my name in rooms I was not in. People who offered advice, encouragement, mentorship, friendship, and sometimes the simple reminder to keep going.

Sarah Richardson agreed to mentor me before she really knew me. Paul Connelly made that connection possible. Rebecca Woods built a community where so many of us could show up, connect, and grow. My colleagues, mentors, friends, family, and so many others have supported different versions of me along the way.

And maybe that last part is what I have been thinking about most.

Different versions of me

Like a lot of people, especially those who have spent time navigating spaces where they do not always see people who look, sound, think, or come from places like them, I think I spent years learning how to read the room.

How much should I say?

How much personality is too much personality?

Should I make this sound more polished? More serious? Less me?

There is a difference between growing and constantly editing yourself to fit whatever room you happen to be standing in.

I am not sure I always knew the difference.

Over time, though, something shifted.

I started trusting my own voice a little more.

I stopped thinking that being professional meant being personality-less.

I became more comfortable bringing my culture, humor, curiosity, opinions, and yes, probably an unnecessary amount of purple, with me.

And standing at SOAR, wearing a Pakistani outfit, surrounded by people who had supported and encouraged me to keep showing up as myself, I had one of those rare moments where you can actually see a little bit of your own journey.

Not as a straight line.

Definitely not as a perfectly planned one.

But as a collection of people, chances, risks, lessons, pivots, and moments where someone believed in me, sometimes before I fully believed in myself.

That realization also made me think about Tech She Secures.

I created Tech She Secures because I wanted to create space for diverse voices in technology, cybersecurity, and beyond. A place where people could tell their stories in full.

Not just their titles.

Not just their accomplishments.

Their identities. Their detours. Their doubts. Their lessons. Their personalities. The experiences that shaped who they became.

But somewhere along the way, Tech She Secures also became a place where I learned to own my own story.

And I think that may be one of the biggest gifts this journey has given me.

The confidence to understand that authenticity is not the opposite of growth.

You can evolve without erasing yourself.

You can learn how to navigate the room without disappearing into it.

You can be ambitious and grateful.

Proud and grounded.

Still learning and still worthy of taking up space.

So yes, I am proud of this award.

I am allowing myself to celebrate it, too. I think sometimes we move so quickly to the next thing that we forget it is okay to stop for a moment and recognize how far we have come.

But I also know this is not the destination.

If anything, it feels much more like the beginning.

There are more things I want to build. More conversations I want to have. More people I want to learn from. More doors I hope to open for others. And, undoubtedly, many more versions of myself I have yet to meet.

That is probably why one particular couplet from Allama Iqbal feels so fitting for this moment:

تو شاہیں ہے، پرواز ہے کام تیرا
ترے سامنے آسماں اور بھی ہیں

Tu Shaheen hai, parwaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasman aur bhi hain.

Rough Translation:

You are a falcon. To soar is your calling.
There are still more skies ahead of you.

I love that the message is not simply about reaching the sky.

It is that there is always another one.

Maybe that is what I am taking with me from SOAR.

Gratitude for this particular sky. For every person who helped me reach it. For the reminder that I do not have to edit myself to keep moving forward.

And for the knowledge that there are still so many more skies ahead.

This one was worth celebrating.

But it was never meant to be the destination.

We are just getting started.

Maliha

Disclaimer: The content on this blog and website reflects a combination of my personal experiences, perspectives, and insights, as well as interviews and contributions from other individuals. It does not represent the opinions, policies, or strategies of any organization I am currently affiliated with or have been affiliated with in the past. This platform serves as a personal space for sharing ideas, lessons learned, and meaningful reflections.