Every summer, Season of Service brings employees across Cloudera together to support the communities and causes that matter most to us. Through Cloudera Cares, Clouderans around the world volunteer their time and skills and connect with organizations making a difference where we live and work.
Those opportunities take many forms, reflecting the causes our people care about and the communities they call home. Season of Service gives us dedicated time to get involved and celebrate a culture of giving back that Clouderans help sustain throughout the year.
This year, Clouderans once again found their own ways to lend a hand across our global community.
Giving Back at Every Stage
Whether someone has been at Cloudera for years or is just getting started, there are plenty of ways to get involved. To see the impact of this event in action, we spoke with three Cloudera interns, Keira Scanlon, Adya Bhat, and Siddharth Ghosh, about what drew them to volunteering and what they took away from their experiences.
What made you want to get involved?
Keira: “Giving back has always been incredibly important to me, from volunteering with local projects like Penny Dinners to raising funds for numerous charities. Knowing that I could bring that same passion to work and give back alongside a supportive community at Cloudera was truly heartwarming, and I knew right away I wanted to be a part of it.”
Siddharth: “I first saw the announcement popping up across our internal Slack channels. What really sparked my interest was how actionable the initiatives were. When I came across the ‘Take out your digital trash to reduce CO2 emissions’ event, it clicked immediately.”
Adya: “I had already been really eager to get involved in our CSR initiatives, and Season of Service felt like the perfect opportunity to jump in. After reading blogs about past events and seeing the incredible impact Cloudera Cares has made, I was inspired to take part and make my own contribution to the community.”
What did getting involved look like?
Keira volunteered with Down Syndrome Ireland’s Field of Dreams in Cork and helped organize fundraising initiatives supporting the Irish Cancer Society and Cork Mental Health Foundation.
Keira: “On a beautiful, sunny day, our team rolled up our sleeves to help prepare their October pumpkin patch by planting pumpkin seeds, lining decorative stones, and watering the gardens. Despite the scorching heat, we loved every minute of giving a helping hand.”
She also helped organize the Cloudera Cork Daffodil Day campaign, which raised €2,140 on its first day, and the Intern Charity Quiz, which raised $1,413 for Cork Mental Health Foundation.
Siddharth and Adya took on a different kind of cleanup.
Siddharth: “I spent a dedicated hour participating in the digital cleanup event. I went on a mission to hunt down old, heavy email attachments, duplicated photos, outdated project slide decks, and video recordings that were just sitting in archives doing nothing but consuming server power.
“By the end of my session, I managed to permanently purge over 4GB of digital waste from my storage. Realizing how fast data builds up and the invisible energy it drains 24/7 was a massive wake-up call.”
Adya: “I participated in the 'Take Out Your Digital Trash to Reduce CO2 Emissions' virtual event, hosted in partnership with the non-profit Let’s Do It World!. The session opened my eyes to the environmental footprint of our cloud storage and data center usage. We were guided on how to actively reduce carbon emissions by decluttering our cloud accounts—deleting unnecessary emails, outdated files, and duplicate photos. It was a simple yet effective way to practice sustainable habits in our day-to-day digital lives.”
What did you learn from the experience?
For each of our interns, volunteering also created opportunities to learn and connect with colleagues.
Keira: “Volunteering naturally broke down office silos, allowing me to collaborate with colleagues from engineering, finance, and HR whom I might never have met otherwise. Working together to organize events became a masterclass in cross-functional teamwork, quick problem-solving, and project management.”
Siddharth found a close connection between his volunteer activity and the work we do with data every day.
Siddharth: “Because we deal with data management and cloud scale every single day at Cloudera, this experience uniquely tied back to my core professional environment. It helped me develop a sharper sense of intentionality around data lifecycle management.”
And Adya gained a deeper understanding of the impact our digital footprints can have on sustainability.
Adya: “This experience taught me the importance of conscious digital habits and sustainability in tech. It reinforced the organizational and problem-solving skills I use daily at Cloudera, reminding me to approach my work with mindfulness, efficiency, and a shared responsibility toward our broader community impact.”
What stood out about the way other Clouderans showed up?
Each intern noticed the role experienced Clouderans played in supporting and leading volunteer activities.
Keira: “Just hearing about how veteran Clouderans were stepping up to plan and lead these events spoke volumes to me. It gave me a lot of confidence to see that the veterans who know Cloudera best are still passionate about keeping this tradition alive.”
Siddharth saw that support firsthand during the digital cleanup.
Siddharth: “It was inspiring to see veteran Clouderans leading by example. They were incredibly active right there during the live meet, staying highly engaged and helping us out with any questions we had along the way. Their enthusiasm and willingness to guide others really set the tone.”
Adya: “It was inspiring to see veteran Clouderans show up with so much energy and intentionality. Many of them are regular volunteers who have participated in numerous Cloudera Cares initiatives over the years. Seeing their ongoing commitment and passion really set a benchmark for me as someone relatively new to the company.”
How did these experiences shape your view of Cloudera?
Keira: “Sharing these experiences outside of our usual project deadlines and status updates brought us so much closer together. It broke down professional guards and allowed us to connect on a truly human level.”
For Siddharth, the experience also brought some friendly competition to the team.
Siddharth: “Within our immediate teams, it fostered a shared sense of lighthearted, friendly competition over who could clear the most data.”
He also came away with a clear impression of the culture around him:
Siddharth: “What stands out most is the lack of cynicism and the presence of genuine collaboration. Whether we are building enterprise data platforms or tackling cloud pollution, people approach tasks with a proactive, down-to-earth attitude.”
For Adya, it was a recognition of Cloudera’s deep passion for service and community.
Adya: “Season of Service showed me that social responsibility is a core pillar of Cloudera’s culture, not just a slogan. Seeing team members actively participate with passion and intentionality demonstrated a strong sense of community.”
Embracing a Culture of Service
The experiences shared by our interns show just how many ways there are to contribute and give back. Our employees bring different interests, skills, and causes to Season of Service, creating opportunities to contribute in ways that are meaningful to them, their colleagues, and their communities. For Clouderans early in their careers, it can also be an introduction to a tradition that colleagues across the company continue to support.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered, organized, participated, and encouraged a colleague to get involved this year. We look forward to seeing how Clouderans continue giving back in the communities where we live and work.
Learn more about life at Cloudera and the culture that powers our work.
