This story is part of a Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special.
On a sunny October day, Mala Dass and Indra Dass (G’23) sit on a park bench near the John Carroll statue at Georgetown.
They’re wearing matching plaid pants and gray T-shirts for this Georgetown Faces photo shoot: Mala reps her alma mater, Archbishop Carroll High School in DC, and Indra, her workplace, Georgetown.
“We both attended Carroll and both work at Georgetown,” Indra says. “We love the connection — it really cemented everything.”
Mala is a senior operations manager of procurement and contract for the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She began working at Georgetown 17 years ago. She encouraged her sister, Indra, a budget analyst at the Law Center, to return to Georgetown in 2018. Indra had previously worked at the School of Foreign Service in 2006, and in May 2023, graduated with her master’s in technology management from the School of Continuing Studies.
They were both drawn to their high school and Georgetown’s focus on community service – a value they hold dear to their hearts. In their off-hours, they volunteer at their high school and offer meals, prayers and support for those experiencing loss in their Trinidadian community.
“It’s a close-knit community, just like Georgetown,” Indra says.
Learn more about what it’s like working with your sister, the spot they can’t get enough of off-campus, and the one word they both use to describe Georgetown.
What we wish everyone knew about us:
Indra: We are not twins! We just entertain the comments because we find it hilarious.
Working with my sister is:
Mala: Fun and rewarding. We both work in finance, and she taught me that while we both work for the university, each campus has their own rules and regulations they follow. While you might think the work is the same, it actually is really different.
Indra: I’m lucky to be able to take advantage of all her years of experience working at Georgetown, showing me the tricks of the trade. We bounce ideas off each other.
How often we talk:
Indra: Every day. We live together and share an office [at home]. If we’re both listening to music, I just wave my hand to get her attention. She helps me out because that’s what we do as sisters. We love the Georgetown connection of that close family relationship.
Go-to music when on a spreadsheet grind:
Mala: I like fast music. It has to be pumping to get me going, and I’ll go through the entire thing. Soca [music that originated in Trinidad] is upbeat. There’s certain country songs and artists that are fast. I like Toby Keith, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, all of those.
Indra: I like soca, chutney [music that also originated in Trinidad] and country. But if there’s a frustrating part of the spreadsheet I am focusing on, I put on religious music, as it seems to help ground me. The challenges seem to disappear.
What I admire about my sister:
Indra: Her personality. She can drive me up the wall sometimes, I guess that’s what siblings do, right? But she has a big heart, and I know that she’s there for us. She’s very friendly and outgoing. She’s loud, but she gets her point across. I’m the quiet person, but that’s how I guess each of us communicates.
Mala: Her caring nature. Even right before coming here, I’m like, we’ve got to go, and she was trying to finish her training with her team at the Law Center. Each campus should have someone that cares as much as Indra does.
