Marily Nika (she/her)

Marily Nika (she/her) is an AI Product Manager at Google. She is based in Mountain view and focuses in Speech ML for the Google Assistant. She also works for Harvard Business School’s Analytics Program as a part-time Teaching Fellow. Prior to that, Marily completed a Ph.D in Computing Science at Imperial College London, interned at Facebook. and founded an EdTech startup.

Marily is passionate about empowering the Women in Tech community and she received 2018’s Woman in tech of the Year Award (by everywoman) and 2015’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Influence Award for her efforts in building impactful communities — three to date, impacting over 10k people over the world.

1. How did you get into tech?

I got into tech when I was really young. It must have been ~20–25 years ago when I first discovered my brother’s BASIC programming book and started experimenting with our — then — Intel 486 computer. A few accidental missing core system files and booting errors later, I realized that I loved puzzles and loved coming up with creative ways to solve problems. I immediately knew that the career I wanted to pursue would be revolved around technology, and eventually AI.

2. Who’s one person in your life you looked up to when you were younger?

My mother. She had a natural skill for math, and despite growing up in a time of great unrest, she managed to pursue her dream to major in Maths, when Maths degrees only had less than 1% women, in a class of over 150 students.

3. Where’s your hometown?

Athens, Greece.

4. What’s a time you faced a struggle?

In my early 20s, I found myself majoring in a field that I liked a lot, but it wasn’t in line with my career goals. By that point, I felt that it was too late to pursue a career in tech, and while I was trying to convince myself to let go of that dream, it turned out that I really couldn’t. You really can’t (and shouldn’t!) let go of dreams!

When I realized that, I decided to start over. I was prepared to complete my then BSc degree as quickly as possible, and spend another three to four years on a CS major. Thankfully, my mentor stepped in and told me that not all MSc degrees required a BSc in the same field, and I was thrilled! That’s when I found and immediately applied to an excellent MSc in Computing Science program, which I ended up pursuing the year after. Not only is it not ‘bad’ to switch fields, but it’s very common and also celebrated in tech. (I wrote an article for the Telegraph on this topic: “Is Computer Science for you?”)

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

I am really proud of completing a Ph.D. in Computing Science. I chose a multidisciplinary topic that involved Epidemiology, Social Networks, Computer Science and Analytics, and that I was extremely passionate about. I was very motivated by Sheryl Sandberg’s quote: “Women need to shift from thinking ‘I’m not ready to do that’ to thinking ‘I want to do that — and I’ll learn by doing it.’” People can achieve so much if they have a bit of confidence, and I would lie if I said that there weren’t challenging moments throughout my Ph.D research. However, I kept on going. I kept studying and trying new methodologies out until I got the results that I was after.

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

How to raise a baby while working full-time. I am grateful for the ‘Moms in tech’ Facebook group, which is a community of thousands of women that share ideas and advice on all sorts of topics around tech and being a mom.

7. Favorite food?

Aromatic crispy duck with hoisin sauce and pancakes. It was my go-to food when living in London.

8. Favorite book?

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

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

Architect.

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

I grew up with immense ambition. I believed that when I worked really hard, opportunity would come my way. I hoped that my efforts would be automatically recognized and that they would tell a story on their own — something like a happy ending to a movie.

Meghan Wilkens (she/her)

Meghan was raised in a military family and traveled all over the world, living in multiple countries throughout her childhood. She fell in love with the feeling of being completely immersed in a culture different from her own. After serving in the US Navy for 9 years, she is now pursuing an MBA at UNC Chapel Hill and completing an internship at Google.

“Upon graduating from high school in Guam, I went on to earn a bachelors degree in Advertising at Marquette University and secure a job at an advertising firm. But it didn’t take long for ‘cabin fever’ to set in. My thirst for adventure drove me to follow in the footsteps of my family, and I commissioned as a Supply Corps Officer in the US Navy, deploying early on in my career.

I learned management, operations, and logistics skills every step along the way. I also had the opportunity to lead sailors and teach them methods of problem-solving that started out here in Silicon Valley. After marrying, having two children, and completing nearly 9 years in the service, I am moving towards a transition into the tech industry, working on my MBA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and using an MBA internship at Google to get a taste of this world — a culture very different from what I’ve known in the military.”

Source of inspiration: Her sister, Kassandra, who served in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer before making a name for herself in the tech industry. She is someone Meghan looks up to for her confidence and resilience.

Book Recommendation: Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans

Clarissa Bukhan (she/her)

Clarissa (she/her) is a Strategic Partner Development Manager at Google and Editor-in-Chief at Women of Silicon Valley. Prior to Google, she was an early member of the business development teams at Box and Optimizely. She is passionate about advancing the role of women in technology through education and storytelling. Before Women of Silicon Valley, her work in this field included serving as a committee member of the Box Women’s Network and as a mentor to female high school entrepreneurs through BUILD.org.

Outside of work, she can often be found reading, traveling, chasing around her two young kids, or sometimes trying to do all three at once.

1. When did you decide you wanted to be in the tech industry?

After graduating from college, my original intention was to work in journalism. I took a job with a company that produced “advertorial” reports (which are basically sponsored articles) for international newspapers. We got to live in a different country every 4 months, which was a dream, but the way that work got done at that company was very old-school. We faxed contracts back and forth and kept track of calls, contacts, and calendars on paper. A good percentage of our work day was spent managing these administrative tasks.

At the end of my first year there, we found ourselves in the middle of the recession, and the company was struggling. I came back to San Francisco and figured I’d do something short-term until I found a role that I was really passionate about, so I took an entry-level job at a startup. At that company, I was suddenly introduced to a whole new world of technology — CRMs to manage contacts, e-signature tools to manage contract signing, collaborative calendars, and shared drives. I realized how technology had the power to change the way that work gets done. From then on, I was hooked and have worked in tech ever since.

2. Who’s one person in your life you looked up to when you were younger?

My grandmother was a pretty phenomenal person. She grew up in the Philippines and came to the US in the 1950s to pursue her Masters degree in banking at Columbia University in New York. There weren’t many women pursuing advanced degrees in business at the time, and I imagine that there were still far less that were foreign/international students, but she did it.

She ended up meeting my grandfather during her time in New York and went on to raise 10 children. As someone who became a mom for the first time just two years ago, I can’t even fathom the physical and mental toll that carrying, birthing, and raising that many children must have taken on her, but she did it.

She was a wonderful mother and became the matriarch of our huge, crazy family. She passed away a couple of years ago, but every time this whole parenthood thing gets tough (which is often), I find inspiration in thinking of her.

3. Where’s your hometown?

San Francisco, CA.

4. What’s a time you faced a struggle?

One of the most challenging periods I’ve been through recently started in October 2015. My uncle Rocky, the youngest of my mom’s siblings, went in for a fairly standard surgery and unfortunately did not survive. A couple of weeks later, my aunt, uncle, and grandmother (from the same side of the family) were involved in a tragic car accident, which took my grandmother’s life. We lost 2 loved ones, unexpectedly, within a one month period. For a family as close as ours, this was a huge blow.

At the time, I also happened to be pregnant with my first child, working full-time, and attending my first year of business school at UC Berkeley’s evening/weekend program, so there was a lot going on. I was managing feelings of grief, on top of the physical (and emotional) discomforts of pregnancy, while trying to stay afloat at both work and school. As an introvert by nature, I tend to turn inward when I need to process things. I prefer to handle difficult situations on my own, rather than talking it out or asking for help. However, this time I literally could not manage alone.

I found comfort in leaning on my family, who were coping with the same experience of loss, but were still somehow able to bring some levity to those long days spent in ICU waiting rooms. At work, my manager and colleagues were supportive and gave me the flexibility to take as much time off as I needed. At school, my study group stepped up for me and made sure that our work was taken care of in my absence. As someone who doesn’t often ask for help, this experience reminded me of the importance of community, and of giving and accepting help from those around you.

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

I had a proud moment recently, while I was on maternity leave with my son. My husband and I were in the process of buying our first house and were hoping to get a specific type of loan. Ten minutes after filling out the preliminary paperwork, I received a call telling me in a very dismissive tone, “Yeah, that loan isn’t going to be an option for you.”

I was shocked and asked how they had come to that conclusion so quickly. The loan officer told me, “You’re on maternity leave. We can’t qualify you unless you go back to work before closing.” The closing was in 4 weeks and I still had 2 months of leave left with my son. I was floored. It was the first time that I had felt the sting of discrimination for being a parent. It felt wrong, so I instinctively pushed back.

Who were they to assume that I might not come back to work after maternity leave? Why was the fact that I had a baby preventing us from getting a loan that we were fully qualified for financially? Were they saying that if I’d had my son one month earlier, this wouldn’t have been an issue? How was that fair? Was this even legal?

It turns out, it wasn’t. I did some research and found the specific law that protects people from being discriminated against in real estate transactions due to familial status. I shared that with her and told her I wanted to speak with whomever the ultimate decision maker on the matter would be. After much back and forth, things ended up working out in our favor and we qualified for the loan.

I was proud of the fact that I had refused to accept that initial decision, had listened to that gut feeling that told me it was a biased outcome, and had held my ground. It seems like a small win, but honestly, a couple of years ago, I don’t know that I would have had the wherewithal to question a decision that seemed so final.

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

I recently returned to work after my second maternity leave, and it’s prompted me to think a lot about how to lead a balanced life. There’s a lot of fodder about whether working moms can “have it all,” but I think that’s the wrong question. It’s not about being the ultimate PTA parent while climbing the career ladder to the very top, the real question is — what is the right balance *for me* to feel fulfillment in both my family life and my work life? The answer to that is nuanced and likely different for every working parent. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what that answer is for myself.

7. Favorite food?

Having grown up in San Francisco, I have to say that Dungeness crab is probably my all-time favorite food.

8. Favorite book?

Reading has long been my favorite hobby, so I have a lot of favorites! I love fiction and find myself particularly drawn to books with offbeat (often “unlikeable”) protagonists, so a few favorites are A Confederacy of Dunces, Ask the Dust, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Everything is Illuminated.

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

I’ve always wanted to be a journalist, so I would love to try that out for a day.

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

You don’t *always* have to make the smart, pragmatic choice. Some of your greatest adventures will come from decisions that you make on impulse, so embrace spontaneity and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.