Moriah Baxevane-Connell (she/her)

Moriah Baxevane-Connell (she/her) is an expat-American living in London. After accidentally falling into tech while at university, Moriah has embraced working in this fast-paced, ever changing environment. After spending almost five years at Microsoft as a SQL consultant, Moriah moved to the UK and obtained an MBA from the University of Oxford. Throughout her career, she has stayed focused on initiatives that encourage, promote, and support women in tech through conferences, speaking engagements, mentoring programs, and more.

1. How did you get into tech?

I entered university as a math major, without any sort of idea or plan of where I wanted my degree to take me, what I wanted to do with my career, or where I wanted to be in five years. (Spoiler alert: this becomes a recurring theme in my life.)

I had to take a C++ class as part of my math degree during my first term and walked in without even the slightest idea of what computer programming was. After four months with an unbelievably patient professor, programming finally clicked, and I realized I enjoyed it. Many conversations with three of the female IT professors in the department, several trips to Grace Hopper Conference, and a presentation by a PwC consultant later, I finally changed my major to both IT and Psychology and had a direction in life — technology consulting. From my attendance at GHC, I was connected to Microsoft, and I received a job offer to join them post-graduation as a Technology Consultant based in Seattle.

2. Where’s your hometown?

Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania — a tiny, rural, town in the middle of the Pocono Mountains, with no sidewalks and approximately six traffic lights within a 30-mile radius. Just to give you an idea of how small-town it actually is, my high school had the first day of buck (deer) hunting season off every year; ‘Tractor Day” was an annual tradition where students drove their tractors to school; and every Friday night the whole town was at the high school football game.

3. What’s a time you faced a struggle, and how did you deal with it?

Starting out my career as a young woman in tech was eye-opening. If I had $1 for every time I was asked to get coffee, reserve conference rooms, order in lunch, book a place for dinner, take notes — or even organize a colleague’s baby shower! — I would never have had to take a loan out for my MBA in 2018, that’s for sure.

In my short career, I’ve been called ‘sweetie’ in meetings in front of the customer, had my answers to technical questions ‘fact-checked’ by male counterparts countless times, been told to focus more on technical work instead of attending and speaking at ‘lady conferences’, and the list goes on and on and on. What’s worse is these are not isolated incidents; I can imagine most (if not all) women reading this are nodding in understanding as they’ve experienced similar, or even many of the same, things. This ongoing struggle is one I’m passionate about changing for future generations, and all of my past experiences above only fuel my push for greater awareness, more allies, and continued support across the field.

4. What’s a time you did something you were immensely proud of?

As I alluded to earlier, my life has never really been planned out. I’ve never had a five-year plan, or even a one-year plan, and my focus on the future has mostly been on having a job where I can travel, learn new things, and work with interesting and smart people.

However, ever since 2006, I’ve had a dream of living and working abroad — specifically the UK. I spent years at my first job doing everything I could to get myself across the pond, and succeeded in spending a few months in London over five years on short projects, but it wasn’t enough.

When many of my colleagues of the same age started leaving their jobs to get MBAs or attending MBA programs part-time, I thought they were crazy. Go back to school?? No way, no how. Until I realized it meant I could be one step closer to 16-year-old-Moriah’s dream. I decided in December 2016 that I was going to attend an MBA program in the UK the next year, and less than four months later, I had studied (read: crammed) for and taken the GMAT, applied, interviewed, and accepted an offer at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School for the 2017–2018 MBA cohort. I’ve since been able to stay in the UK, living and working in London and accomplishing a ten-year-old goal!

5. Favorite food?

Too many to name, but at the moment I’m craving a classic bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. Oddly specific, but I can’t explain how much I miss it; I have yet to find it here in the UK.

6. Favorite book?

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. I’m attempting to memorize all of the incredible statistics and information she’s given in this book, which is proving to be impossible, but it doesn’t stop me from quoting what I can remember at any chance I get.

7. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

For the last 5+ years, I’ve been cutting my own hair, and recently I’ve begun doing it for a few friends as well. While I don’t have any 5-star Google reviews yet, I’d love a job out from behind a computer, working with my hands…hairdresser or baker would be top of the list!

Arsha Nagrani (she/her)

Arsha is a PhD student at the VGG lab in the University of Oxford, UK. She was born in Mumbai, India, and lived around the world in Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, Cambridge, and Oxford before finally landing in California as a research intern at Google. Her work is mostly focused on using machine learning to understand videos for applications such as video retrieval, automatic movie descriptions for the blind, and face/speech recognition.

Arsha was recently part of the organizing committee for the Women in Computer Vision workshop at CVPR, the largest computer vision conference for academics. As part of the organizing team, she helped organize a mentoring dinner for over 130 people, matched young women in the field to senior mentors, and organized keynote speeches, as well as a panel to discuss diversity-related issues in computer vision. The organizing team she was on worked across 5 different time zones and managed to raise over $100K to provide travel grants to 50 young mentees.

Source of inspiration: Ruth Bader Ginsburg for being a force to be reckoned with and raising a family, getting top grades in a competitive degree, and looking after a sick partner all at once. It gives Arsha hope that it’s possible to do anything and everything.

Book Recommendation: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Brits who Work with Bits

Produced by Elizabeth Smith.

Quick! Name 3 tech companies. Which ones come to mind? Chances are that they’re all American but surprisingly, the United States was not the birthplace of computing. Long before Steve Jobs’ garage, Google’s free food, or Mark Zuckerberg’s black hoodie, a British woman was contemplating the use of a “computing machine” to perform fast, accurate calculations.

Her name was Ada Lovelace. The nineteenth century mathematician and daughter of the esteemed poet Lord Byron is widely considered to be the first computer programmer. Lovelace was a progressive thinker who not only challenged Victorian gender roles, but also was the first to recognize the potential of computers beyond “number crunching” — envisioning a society in which machines and individuals interacted.

A full century later, Alan Turing, an English mathematician, defined the first models of a general-purpose computer (the Turing Machine) and artificial intelligence. Despite the revolutionary impact of his work, Turing’s accomplishments were not fully recognized for many decades due to his homosexuality, which at the time was considered to be a crime in the United Kingdom.

Although today, most of the people that we think of as pioneers in tech are American males, it’s worth celebrating the fact that two of the world’s first computer scientists were a British woman and homosexual man. In honor of Ada Lovelace’s December birthday, we traveled across “the pond” to explore the legacy of British scientists who paved the way for modern computing. We asked women who are currently studying or working in Great Britain why they chose to pursue tech here. Over the course of the month of December, we have been sharing the personal stories of female technologists who have made Great Britain their home and are proud to share the full compilation here.

Jaclyn Smith (she/her)

PhD Student in Computer Science, University of Oxford & Principal Engineer, Omics Data Automation, Inc.

“I designed and developed a genomic-based cohort system with a team at Omics Data Automation (ODA). While I was training a group on how to use the system, one of the trainees ran a search for patients who could benefit from a new heart disease medication, based on the presence of a single point mutation. Using the system, she identified seventeen patients that could benefit from the drug. Since I lost my father to heart disease when I was just four years old, this was a very rewarding moment for me.”

Agnieszka Madurska

Tech Lead/Manager Google UK

“Moving to a different country, where I studied and worked in a different culture and in a foreign language was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far. I found that the key to overcoming the initial loneliness and culture shock was building a strong network of friends and support both at work and outside of work.

Most importantly, it was crucial not to pretend that everything was okay when it really wasn’t, and to reach out for help when I needed it the most. There’s a lot of stigma around mental health that as a society we should be fighting. It’s okay not to feel okay!”

Myroslava Dzikovska

Software Engineer, Google

“”I was a teenager in post-Soviet Ukraine with very limited access to computers, internet or money. When your family earns an equivalent of $20 a month but taking each standardized test required for entry costs $30 and a ticket to the US is $700, some ingenuity is required. It took a village: Soros foundation offered some scholarships; my mother took extra jobs; a cousin contributed study guides. I did a lot of self-study and found research projects and unpaid internships to get some experience on my CV.

Finding a paid job in Ukraine for me sadly didn’t work out. The same classmates who asked me for help with their CS assignments also said “No, you cannot work in a bank the way I do, it’s not a woman’s job”. This was an insurmountable obstacle for an introvert like me, with limited social skills. With that said, I managed to get through the university admissions process and got a scholarship to study in the US at the time when studying abroad was still very new and unusual in Ukraine.”

Clara Bayarri

Senior Software Engineer & Manager, Android, Google

“Before I joined Google, I met an amazing female researcher called Luz Rello, and we became very close friends. Her research was (and still is!) focused on helping children with learning disabilities, specifically Dyslexia. I was immediately impressed by the passion Luz pursued her work with and how she was making a difference, and I joined her in her road to erradicate Dyslexia. Together with her and Azuki, an illustrator, we built a mobile app that showcased language exercises Luz had created based on the analysis of dyslexic children’s spelling mistakes.

This was the first major app I ever built, and I had no idea how to even tackle the problem but somehow a few months later not only were we able to release it to the public, but we also ran a series of studies with schools which scientifically proved that Luz’s exercises worked and helped children overcome Dyslexia in a fun and interactive way. To me that was a life changing experience, seeing how my work could change someone else’s life for the better, and since then I’ve always tried to find things to work on that feel meaningful and affect users on a daily basis.”

Micaela Bester

Linguist, Google

“The biggest challenge I face as a woman in tech is imposter syndrome. Not coming from a computer science background, I’m especially sensitive to this. Sometimes I get little reminders, like a software engineer saying “Oh, you’re a linguist, not an engineer” and assuming I work as a translator; or comments that I dress too nicely for the office. It’s a challenge to remind myself constantly that I belong in this industry and that I have value to contribute here.”

Medha Atre

Senior Researcher, University of Oxford

“I grew up in a fairly progressive family background that did not deprive me of a quality education, but beyond a bachelor’s degree, the expectation was to settle down through marriage, take care of a “man’s home” and be content with it. I, however, wanted to pursue higher education. I wanted to actively participate in science and technology, and through that I also wanted to set a different example for impressionable women and men around me.

I faced quite a lot of struggle trying to balance social and familial expectations, and my own passions. I faced a lot of resistance for pursuing higher education. I had an idea of this impending struggle from a very early age, having observed the social fabric around me, so I was preparing to handle it mentally from 12–13 years old. My strategy was to be financially independent immediately after I am done with my basic graduation, so as to be able to make my own decisions and be responsible for their outcome myself. I think it panned out well for me.”

Laura Tomassetti

FX TD at MPC

“I am part of a team that creates high quality live action movies and cartoons. I work as part of a team on a long and complicated process that takes sometimes years, but what we create together gives a little escape to people’s mind. Kids will live numerous adventures through the big screen, and I help them imagine enchanted worlds by recreating them in computer graphics, with suspense, explosions, high quality shots and a lot of cool effects! I am proud of being part of something big, something that brings joy and a little bit of lightheartedness to others.”

Sian Story

Director, EMEA Legal at Sophos

“Balancing a demanding work schedule with a very young family is challenging. I really enjoy my career and get a lot of personal satisfaction from working, but on the flip side I want to spend as much time as I can with my children, who are 3 and 1 and an absolute joy. Getting us through the week can often be a full family effort and certainly doesn’t accommodate much else — work is my “me time”. I’ve become much better at asking for and accepting help than I was; it’s no longer a point of pride to be able to fly solo. I’m also kinder to myself when things don’t work as expected, and I make a point of celebrating small victories.”

Erin Hamalainen

Software Engineer at Google

“Being undervalued at work is an ongoing challenge that I have to face more often than I’d like. Luckily, at my first job in tech, I had a boss who recognized my value, which has made it easy for me to be 100% confident of my worth ever since. When someone is condescending towards me at work, I immediately let them know that what they just said was condescending, rude, and inappropriate, and I make their manager aware of the situation (and potentially HR too). What I don’t do is let it go. Because I don’t want to let the cycle continue, and I don’t want others, who may be less equipped than myself to deal with these situations, to encounter this.”

Clare Lyle

Graduate Student, University of Oxford

“Starting college was probably the most difficult transition of my life. I felt very alone and unsure of myself, and my self-doubt was compounded by the air of confidence many people around me exuded, which I mistook for competence. When acquaintances would offer me help with math and physics, I assumed it was because they understood them better than I did. They didn’t. It took me a while to figure that out though, and I became very anxious wondering how I could possibly stay afloat in a cut-throat university where everyone was clearly miles ahead of me because they were offering homework help. I think most people’s intentions in offering me “help” were well-meaning, but I do wonder how much their implicit biases were involved. During a chemistry tutorial, I explained a concept to a classmate, and he thanked me with: “I never thought a blonde girl would help me with my homework.” I didn’t place too much stock in the opinion of someone who didn’t understand the concept of electron orbitals, so the comment didn’t bother me too much. But it did bolster a broader concern that people would assume the color of my hair had any causal relationship with my intelligence. My approach to solving this was typical of a computer scientist: I studied, took my exams, then updated my beliefs about my abilities after seeing the data. Once our exam results came back, it became very clear that I should be the one offering tutoring services, and the homework help offers stopped.”

Christie Travers-Smith

EMEA Retail Partnerships Lead, Google

“Before joining Google, I led the China office for a UK consultancy. When I first arrived in Beijing, I realised that the classroom Chinese I had learned was not going to get me very far! I couldn’t understand people’s accents and many of the nuances of the language were lost on me. I spent the first two years taking Chinese lessons at 7am several times a week, so I could improve my Chinese before arriving at the office where I would try to engage in as many conversations as possible. Eventually my Chinese got to a level where I could run my business and even make a few (very bad) jokes.”

Virginia Falcón

Measurement Lead,Google

“I have had the misfortune of virtually seeing my country disappear over the course of my life. I’m Venezuelan, and ever since I can remember the country has been on a downward trajectory. When I was in college, there was intense political unrest and at many times I wondered if I’d be able to complete my degree. I have struggled most of my adult life between patriotism and an urge to both fight for what’s fair and look after my family.

I made the heartbreaking decision of leaving the country and building a life abroad. At some point, I came to accept that there’s only one life to live and that there were certain things I couldn’t change by just wanting to. So I focused on the things I could change: providing for my family, building a career, raising children that would stand up for what’s right. I’m hopeful, even if I’m outside the country, that I can use my voice to make a difference for the millions of Venezuelans suffering from oppression and hunger each day.”

Delfina Grossi

Regional Account Executive, Global Client and Agency Solutions, Google UK

“My background is atypical. Argentine and Italian, I was born in Geneva, I grew up between Switzerland, Belgium, Argentina, and Holland, and I studied in Brussels, Paris and Rome. After completing my first masters in Marketing and Strategy at University Paris IX Dauphine, I returned to Buenos Aires to explore and understand my identity. I reconnected with my origins, fell in love, and completed a second masters degree in Business & Technology at Universidad San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am now based in London. The UK is my seventh country of residence. Moving from country to country while progressing in my career, prioritizing my partners’ career, and maintaining our personal goals has been challenging. I was able to handle it by always being vocal, setting clear expectations and having transparent conversations both at work and with my family. Like Anaïs Nin the French-American essayist and novelist wrote: “The risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” I’m proud of having had the courage to take the leap and move from one country and one growth opportunity to the other.”

Klaudia Krawiecka

PhD Student, University of Oxford & President of Oxford Women in Computer Science Society

“When I was younger, I was often discouraged by others to study Computer Science. At that time, it was not a popular subject among women. Because of this, I have always felt obliged to fight for my position and prove at every step that I can achieve outstanding results.

This fight became exhausting. Sometimes I felt like I should have given up. Fortunately, I have always had the support of my family and my close friends. They gave me the strength to pursue my dreams and goals. Now, I am very proud to represent Oxford Women in Computer Science Society and work with all the amazing and inspiring women in Oxford.”

Natasha Yogananda Jeppu

PhD Student in Computer Science, University of Oxford

“I have always been someone to give into peer pressure. In my adolescence, I always felt that I wouldn’t be accepted or I would be treated differently if I didn’t follow the rest of the world. A big eye opener was something my father told me, “Don’t be the sheep, be the shepherd!” My father always urged me and younger brother to think outside the box, despite my dislike for the same. Today, I am proud to have taken the path less trodden. My current area of research, formal verification, is something I was not exposed to in my undergraduate curriculum. I was afraid to venture into this ‘new’ area because it wasn’t something my fellow classmates talked about or had ever even heard of. I took my first step into the field when my father asked me to design a simple logic for an autopilot mode transition system. I was very confident in my design, but when I saw it fail against tests I’d never even thought of trying, I realized the importance of verification — especially when it comes to safety critical systems. From then on I knew this is what I wanted to do. I haven’t looked back.”

Sofia Minano

PhD Student

“Lately, I have become more conscious of the resilience I’ve developed (and continue to develop) in the last 5–6 years. Since my first years in uni, I feel I have been acquiring a nice set of tools to deal with challenging situations, and that makes me quite proud. I think my MSc thesis was a bit of a turning point for this, especially the defence session: I was terrified about it so I prepared it very thoroughly. And eventually it went quite well! So much that I actually enjoyed the discussion! I was surprised by how a small change in my approach to the situation made the experience so much nicer. I think since then I’m more focused on enjoying the process, rather than on the results that are expected from me.”

Julia Wiedmann

PhD Student in Computer Science, University of Oxford

“I think my biggest challenge was moving from an undergraduate in business to a masters degree in Computer Science. I didn’t know anyone in Computer Science; all I knew was that I wanted to learn everything about it. In order to be eligible for the masters, I taught myself all the maths and programming required to get into a CS degree while wrapping up the last few months of my undergraduate. It was rough. I remember I had many exams and a dissertation to write, but still had to find the time to teach myself programming to convince the admissions team I was a worthy candidate. For the last few months of undergrad, I’d get up at 5:30 AM, go for a run, spend the day on coursework at the library until 6pm, rush home to eat, then study programming until I passed out at 10. Every single day, for several months. I was an absolute wreck by the end of it. I was so worried about putting my bachelors grades at stake for a masters program I might never be admitted to. But luckily it all went well; I came out top in my class and was accepted into the masters program. I will forever take great pride in being a computer scientist, because I worked so incredibly hard in order to become one.”

Laura Wheeler

Cloud Communications Manager, Google

One of the biggest challenges I have faced in my life was contracting Dengue Fever while backpacking during a gap year in Indonesia. Dengue fever is a viral disease which is transmitted by mosquitoes. I ended up in hospital severely ill with a high fever, delusions and unable to eat. When I think back to this experience, I’m not quite sure how I made it through. Handling the aftermath was the biggest struggle for me personally — facing up to my own mortality and trying to get my head around the fact that I was alive, when every year thousands of people die from this terrible virus. I was one of the fortunate ones. It’s given me such a positive perspective on life and taught me to appreciate how lucky I am!

Anita Woodruff

Software Engineer, Google

“I’d been determined to get into Oxford; as a straight-A student I was encouraged by my teachers to go for it. But I took one look at the mathematics entrance exam and decided I had no chance of getting in. So instead, I settled with Experimental Psychology; it sounded interesting, and although I wasn’t a fan of writing essays, I figured I’d learn to love it. That notion turned out to be naive; to cut a long story short, I ended up failing out of the degree. That felt bad enough on its own, but the worst part was the psychological effects of all the pressure to succeed I felt myself under.

The Christmas holidays after my first term were a nightmare: I bailed on a ski-trip I’d already paid for because I couldn’t get it together to pack in time, I stopped sleeping, and the scariest part was that I started having paranoid delusions… Even writing this down now makes me shudder and feel ashamed. I attribute those psychotic symptoms to the immense stress and chronic insomnia I was experiencing at the time.

I do still suffer on and off with depression, which can be debilitating at times — some days even getting out of bed is a struggle. But over the past two years I’ve started getting professional support from my doctor and psychotherapist. I found that mindfulness techniques are really helpful. My proudest day was the day I finally graduated, with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science and Math from the University of Bath. It was a long road getting there, especially having dropped out of my first degree, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face that day!”

Elizabeth Smith (she/her)

Elizabeth Smith (she/her) is a graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Hailing from Washington, she moved to California in 2014 to attend Santa Clara University and intern as a software engineer at Facebook, Google, and CrowdStrike. Elizabeth enjoys playing the harp, snuggling with yellow labs, drinking coffee, and going on meditation runs.

Women of Silicon Valley provides her with a support network as she continues to heal from her own experiences of sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. Through her role, Elizabeth looks forward to giving back to this community and empowering other women facing similar challenges.

1/ When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

I was never much of a tech “enthusiast” as a kid, except for the occasional game of Freddi Fish or Zoo Tycoon (90s kids know that these games were, for lack of a better word, lit). The first time I was introduced to a computer program was in my senior year of high school, when I haphazardly registered for AP Computer Science. I remember walking into the first class, quite apprehensive, because my only image of a computer scientist was an awkward white man with a neckbeard who played video games in his free time and had been coding since he could walk … and I most definitely didn’t fit that description!

My teacher, Mr. Procopio, however, quelled my fears. Just like me, he didn’t fit my image of a coder. He, too, had discovered the subject later in life and this gave him the unique ability to teach with immense patience and explore non-conventional ways of explaining concepts. On top of preparing us for the AP exam, he was also an exceptional mentor, inviting guest speakers to the classroom and taking us on fieldtrips. Through this, I was able to see a more “human” side of computers — a side that has been influential in sustaining my passion for tech, especially during long nights of debugging, or frustrating interactions with classmates and coworkers.

2/ Who is a role model that you look up to?

My big sister, Christina! She is currently pursuing a PhD in Medieval Archeology, specializing in Insular (Scottish and English) high crosses. For me, Christina is a model of unquenchable passion and discipline. She is not afraid of going against the status quo and getting her hands dirty (literally), which is something I really struggle with at times. In recent years, she’s endured a lot of voices telling her she needs to do things a specific way (choose a certain school, research a certain topic, etc.) but she has remained steadfast to her goals.

Although I’ve worked as a software developer for four summers now, coding is not something that brings me a lot of joy. My sister’s resilient love and tenacity towards archeology has encouraged me to not settle for something just because it is convenient. In recent months, I’ve been exploring other roles in tech like product management and sales engineering. I know I will be my happiest and contribute most authentically and fully when I have the courage to step out of my comfort zone and seek something that truly excites me.

3/ Where is your hometown?

Seattle, Washington. Yes, I love the rain. Yes, I am a discerning coffee drinker. Yes, I wear flannel. Go Seahawks.

4/ What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

Enrolling in an MBA program at age 23.

This past September, I graduated with a Master’s (MSc) in Computer Science. A couple weeks later, I began my MBA. To be honest, I expected my transition to the MBA program to be much easier. In fact, I’m nearly three months in and still don’t feel adjusted or particularly excited by my coursework.

During my MSc, I had to deal with moving to a different continent and studying at a new school (University of Oxford) at the graduate level, yet I found that transition to be a lot easier than this year’s. For one, the subject was familiar to me, as I had studied Computer Science/Physics/EE extensively in undergrad; the MSc in Computer Science was a natural academic progression for me.

The MBA is an entirely different experience. Before September, I knew *nothing* about business. I couldn’t even explain the difference between revenue and profit! The average age of my peers in the cohort is 28, which means that even those who didn’t enter with a business degree were at least familiar with the lingo from years of work.

I’ve spent hours reading case studies riddled with terminology and references that are foreign to me yet “common knowledge” in the business world. I’ve chatted at networking events with McKinsey employees, and still had no clue what they actually do. I’ve worked through Wall Street Prep Excel tutorials, but am still not able to model a simple linear regression.

I’ve felt this discouragement and imposter syndrome make me question if I’ll be successful in a job post-graduation. I realize it’s an unhealthy mindset, so I’m trying to be more aware of when I enter the downward spiral. It’s really tough, but it’s getting easier with practice. I might not reach concepts as quickly as my peers, but the important thing is that I keep pushing myself and don’t belittle my successes by measuring them against those of my peers.

5/ What is something that you are immensely proud of?

I am proud of my Swedish heritage. It’s given me my blonde hair and blue eyes, love of the outdoors (particularly winter-related sports), baking, and fika (Swedish coffee hour, a custom I practice daily). Ever since I was very little, my mom has prioritized traditions, many of which are Swedish. One particular holiday I look forward to celebrating every December 13 is St. Lucia Day. Even though I am rarely home these days, I always make time to celebrate it myself.

6/ What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

Practicing mindfulness! A year ago, I was introduced to the meditation app Headspace. Initially I could barely sit through a 5-minute session, and now I meditate for up to an hour a day. I’ve even integrated the practice into activities like running and eating! Meditation has helped me to become more mindful to the present moment and attentive to the people and things going on around me. Through it, I’ve developed greater self-awareness and self-care, which I believe has helped me to more effectively and genuinely care for others.

7/ Favorite food?

Do rye Manhattans count? ☺ If not, then joulutorttu, a Finnish pastry made with dried plums and dusted with (ideally lots of) powdered sugar.

8/ Favorite book?

I have two:

1. L’Étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus. I can’t deny that part of my attachment comes from initially reading it in the native French, an impressive feat considering I was a struggling French minor at the time! That aside, Camus provides the reader with a unique perspective on life, through the eyes of an “outsider” in society. Growing up in a very close-knit family and having attended all private Christian schools, I can struggle with being a bit judgmental due to my limited life experiences. The main character, Meursault, kills an Arab and faces execution, and although I cannot understand his motives, Camus’ style leads me to reach an eventual appreciation for Meursault. I do not consider myself an existentialist or remotely support Meursault’s actions, but I value his authenticity and desire to not conform to societal expectations. It’s an unconventional, absurd bildungsroman (don’t mistake me for being a literary fiend … I just remember a few terms from high school English!!) that does an excellent job of highlighting the consequences of conformity and self-awareness.

2. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. Her writing is raw, emotive, and passionate, and for me, serves as a voice for women who have suffered silently through abuse. This collection of poems has helped me to articulate and bring to the surface many of the painful memories I blocked out for years. Suppressing thoughts and feelings only generates tension why is why these poems have been instrumental in creating closure and healing in my life.

9/ If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

Pastry chef.

10/ If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” — Eleanor Roosevelt

During my first internship after freshman year of college, I had an evaluation with a senior software engineer who told me that I “sucked at coding.” I remember returning home from work that evening, devastated, and bursting into tears on the phone with my mom. To comfort me, she shared the above quote. Another time during my freshman year, one of my professors politely suggested I drop my Computer Science major and switch to Mathematics. Again, I took those words as the absolute truth and began to believe that I was not destined to study and work in software. After being assaulted, I let any remaining self-respect inside me die. For a while, I lived defined by the painful actions of another and suffered from much undue shame.

Certain mindsets take a lot of work to undo, and even long before 18, I struggled with being easily swayed by what other did and said to me. I would ruminate over every single interaction I’d have and easily lost sight of myself. Tech is an industry where you have to be very grounded and self-aware because there are a lot of times you can be swayed to do something. Being a female in tech introduces added pressure because you are considered somewhat of a “commodity.” I’ve had multiple occasions where I’ve felt like the only way to progress or be accepted by a team is by conforming to it — and when the majority of teams are male, this is a very fatiguing and unhappy way to live. I’ve often let the words of others determine my value to a team and this has led me to underestimate my abilities and proceed in a state of limitation due to Imposter Syndrome. That’s why WoSV has been such a critical community for me. Reading the stories of other women has helped me to recognize and fight these feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, and lack of belonging.