March 08, 2022
Posted by Google Developer Studio
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are featuring tech trailblazers who have made significant contributions to developer communities close to Google and beyond. Many of the women we spoke to work directly with some of our educational outreach and inclusivity programs like Google Developer Experts and Women Techmakers, while others are Google Developer Student Clubs participants or Googlers who do incredible work around the globe.
They all share a passion for making the developer community more accessible and inclusive for generations of women to come. Read about them below to learn more about these individuals whose drive contributes to a better workplace and world.
We’re proud to celebrate #WHM22 with them.
Laura Morillo-Velarde Rodríguez
Guest's location: Zaragoza, Spain
Tell us more about your role.
I work as a Tech Lead at Seedtag, a contextual advertising company, where I help build an amazing tech team to go through all the technical challenges that we have to face. Besides that, I'm also a Women Techmakers Ambassador and Cloud Google Developer Expert.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
During the pandemic I started recording podcasts (in Spanish) with some friends (GDG Spain Podcast, Cloud Español) and one of those is Tech & Ladies Podcast. Every two weeks Cristina Pampín, Silvia García and I talk with other women in tech about their careers, different technologies or other topics related to the tech space.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I'm passionate about the tech space because you always have something new to learn. I think that this can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, as you need to find the time and it usually involves a lot of self-study, but it also prevents our work from becoming boring.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
I would recommend them to make the most of the technical communities that we have. There, you can learn a lot, meet amazing people and contribute to the growth of others with your knowledge and experience.
Guest’s Location: Ingelheim, Germany
Tell us more about your role.
I’ve been a Software Engineer for the last 7 years. Right now, I'm working at BIX that is the Digital Lab of Boehringer Ingelheim. Although my job description is “Frontend Engineer,” the reality is that every day I have different challenges that involve a great diversity of technologies and tools.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
With my team I created some prototypes using hardware oriented to the healthcare systems. In my free time I'm creating a project to collect funds for stray animals.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Technology gives us the power to turn our ideas into reality, but many of the things that are in our lives today are there because we share our knowledge with others. Thanks to many communities and groups we have more opportunities to improve our environments and grow step by step, something that is important in this time where we need to create changes.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Be curious, trust in yourself and enjoy the journey. It is important to understand that every day counts to reach the objectives that we have. We’ll never have all the knowledge, but your current version knows something more than yesterday and the last week. Don’t stop and continue growing.
Guest’s Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Tell us more about your role.
I currently work as a Cloud Engineer for a large entertainment company, my role is focused on designing and implementing strategies that allow different applications to be released quickly and with the best quality, guaranteeing availability, security and reliability. In other words I am a DevOps Engineer. I love it because I can have a generalized context about the applications, technologies, services, etc. My aspiration is to become a site reliability engineer in a couple of years.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
One of the most challenging projects developed some time ago was the improvement of a content platform for an important newspaper consortium. It was a project where we had the opportunity to solve great challenges of scalability, availability and performance. This was a project that required developing many skills to carry it out. Finally, the project came out into the world, with setbacks but better than we expected, it was the most important school I've been to so far.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Being in technology is a great privilege at this time, you have the opportunity to create great projects from scratch and solve many problems, you have at hand thousands of tools that are available through the internet and that you can use with ease. I particularly believe that the tech communities have been an incredible space that has allowed me to connect with people who have contributed to my growth and have inspired me through their projects.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
My advice to all those people who are starting in this area, be curious, explore content you’re interested in via podcasts, videos, communities and blogs. Do not give up, you are going to go through many frustrating situations, be patient with yourself and trust your process.
Chu-Ling Ko
Guest’s Location: Palo Alto, California
Tell us more about your role
I am a software engineer at Google for Clinicians of Google Health. Also, I am a volunteer for Google’s Coding Competitions. We develop the coding competition problems for Kick Start, Code Jam, and Code Jam to I/O for Women!
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
Recently, a group of women volunteers including me are working together to develop the problem sets for Code Jam to I/O for Women 2022. We prepare input verifiers, test case generators, various solutions (and some fake ones), and solution articles. It is so exciting that we are all a part of this amazing event!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I am so passionate about this work because it is something that helps people. Google’s Coding Competition team produces plenty of high-quality problem sets every year, along with comprehensible, educational solution articles. We hope the participants can enjoy and learn new things from each of our coding competitions!
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Enjoy and take everything you are doing seriously, and appreciate the people you meet in the adventure!
Tatiyana Mishtal
Guest’s Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Tell us more about your role.
I'm a Senior Software Engineer at YouTube Content ID, also TL of our team. We are working on detection of copyright violations on YouTube. Due to the specifics of our product, we have a very intensive Quality focus - I spend a lot of time on data analysis and cross-team collaboration to improve automated decisions made. At the same time reliability requirements, new signals development and continuous improvements to YouTube infrastructure bring endless interesting engineering challenges as well.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
In addition to my main project, I'm also part of the Hash Code team. For several years already we have organized this coding competition for developers of all levels from all around the world. And just a few weeks ago we held the 2022 Qualification Round, which was especially challenging for us. Not only did we need to prepare a hard and exciting problem for the competition as we do every year, but also we had migrated to the new Google Coding Competitions platform and it was our debut there. Thanks to ours and the Coding Competitions team's joint effort everything went smoothly!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I really like making things work. I enjoy solving problems, overcoming challenges and in the end seeing how results impact people’s lives. I especially value personal time and it delights me that technology can both improve the quality of people's lives and cut the "time cost" of many mundane things.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Ask "why" instead of "how". Why something works the way it does, why people came to particular ideas and why would one use the technology in a way they do. There are a lot of options of "how" for everything in tech, but you need to know "why" to take the most out of it.
Frances Cooper
Guest’s Location: Scotland, UK
Tell us more about your role.
I’m a Software Engineer, working on improving the search quality of Google’s internal search engine. I work on both frontend and backend, and it’s great to have such a variety of work all in one space. I also help out with Generation Google Scholarships, and am the EMEA liaison for a community of remote women employees.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
There are several coding competitions at Google, including Kick Start (for beginners), Code Jam, and Code Jam to I/O for Women. An exciting project I’ve worked on recently is writing some questions for these competitions. The next competition will be Code Jam to I/O for Women, which aims to improve women’s representation in tech. Taking part in any of these competitions is a great way to join a welcoming community and practice your coding skills.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
In tech, you can have a real, tangible impact on people’s lives. So many people use tech every day, and you have the opportunity to make their interactions with tech better (in so many different ways!). There are also tech jobs in all industries - research, charities, startups, retail, medicine, big tech etc. The skills you build up can be applied to such a wide variety of problems, you never get bored.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
It’s never too late to start! I only began coding in my mid-twenties, and I never would have imagined it was possible to be a Software Engineer without having started coding when you were young. But, as it turns out, you absolutely can - coding is just a means to solve problems and without having coded before you can still have built up great problem solving skills. Taking a different route into tech can actually be an advantage!
Michelle Mannering
Guest’s Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Tell us more about your role.
The GitHub DevRel team gets to do some of the most amazing things in the Developer Relations space. We showcase the products and services that GitHub has, but more importantly we highlight the awesome things our community is doing. Whether someone is a maintainer, an open source contributor, student, or developer working within a company, everyone has a unique and interesting experience. By showcasing these cool developers and projects we can show how people are building better things for the world.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
We’re always doing such fun and awesome things at GitHub. One of the things I’ve been working on a lot is the Release Radar. It’s a monthly blog post that goes out showcasing awesome open source projects. We also have a video that goes out featuring some of the projects, talking about what they do, and how others can use them. It’s a really awesome way to get the word out about what developers are building. You can find out more on releaseradar.github.com
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I really love talking to others and hearing about their journey and experience. The best thing about the tech space is listening to someone get really excited about the thing they are building and then showing it to as many people as possible. I’m always so blown away by what people can create. I’ve been in this boat a few times and when you’re learning or building something and you get it right, and it deploys and doesn’t break, it’s not just you that gets excited, but everyone around you!
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Don’t think that this is a space where you have to be a genius and know everything. Everyone, all developers, from the most junior to the most senior, still use Stack Overflow to find answers. Never think you are not enough, and on the flip side, never think that you know it all. You can always learn more. So my best advice is “no matter what your role or your experience, always be learning!”
Cassidy Williams
Guest’s Location: Chicago, Illinois
Tell us more about your role.
In short: I build open source and educational content to help people get jobs!
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I've been working on my newsletter full of web news, practice interview questions, and jokes! It's at cassidoo.co/newsletter and I'm about to hit my 5-year-anniversary writing it!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Tech is such a creative, logical, exciting field that can change peoples' lives. I love helping people get jobs in tech to afford and build the lives and ideas they want to.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Look for people who are where you want to be. Look at their paths, and see how you can try to mimic it. Make yourself available for people to mimic you. One of my favorite quotes is to "lift as you climb"! If you help others as you move forward in their careers as you move forward in yours, you'll build a wonderful community of people around you, and make the tech community a better place!
TensorFlow/Machine Learning
Michelle Carney
Guest’s Location: San Francisco, California
Tell us more about your role.
As a UX Researcher on ML, I think about the overall user experience of our machine learning tools, including on-device machine learning at Tensorflow. On the day to day, I sit down and talk to engineers making ML and use my background in ML to help me understand what are their goals and frustrations when it comes to making cutting edge machine learning technology. From there, I synthesize the findings to help improve tools and experiences for all of Google's ML technology.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
Some of my favorite projects include Tensorflow Lite for Microcontrollers for Google I/O and Google AI Magenta's Tone Transfer. I led the research behind the projects to ensure that the overall experience is approachable, fun, and understandable -- and inspires folks who may be using ML for the first time to learn more! From the technology side too, it is an amazing feat to be able to run complex ML technology on small devices - so that's another fun challenge!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I am excited to be a part of the team building the future of Machine Learning -- and making ML more accessible and approachable to everyone. We're no longer in the phase where you need a PhD to build ML models - and I am excited about building the tools that help anyone who is interested make their own models to solve their own problems.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Keep showing up! We are all experts in something - and your expertise has a place here in the future of ML. It is all about finding the folks who also resonate with your approach and getting great work done with them!
Nisanur Ilhan
Guest’s Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Tell us more about your role.
I work as an engineer on the machine's ability to make autonomous detections and make decisions with artificial intelligence algorithms by processing the data coming from the sensors on the machine. Apart from this, as ML GDE, I contribute to the field of ML by sharing my knowledge with the community through public speeches, by making projects with Google ML Technologies, mentoring to people who want to improve themselves in ML and organizing workshops. At the same time, as the WomenTech Ambassador, I provide support to increase women's awareness and employment in the field of technology.
Is there a project you've been working on recently that you're excited to share?
I am working on a project with technical tutorials that will guide both women and those who want to enter the field of technology and satisfy all their curiosities. Apart from that, I take great pleasure in continuing my work on multi-sensor fusion.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I think that the most important factor that shapes the future and determines the course of the world is technology. My greatest desire ever has been to touch the life of every single person. It has been my greatest satisfaction to do this with technology that will be beneficial to humanity. But remember, passion isn't about using technology just because it's there, it's about consciously putting it into your own life or the lives of others.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to professionals starting out in the tech field?
First and foremost: pick an area you are passionate about, and just try to be the best you can be and get outside of your comfort zone. There will be many people who say you can't, so close your ears to these people and follow your passion. Strive to be a better version of yourself every day. Success will surely come.
Jialin Huang
Tell us more about your role.
I am a senior quantitative user experience researcher at Meta (formerly known as Facebook), and have been leading data-driven projects that improve user experience with our products.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
In the most recent project, I applied regression and cluster analysis on survey and log data, and identified growth opportunities for a global new product initiative. It is where human-centric data and machine learning shed light on actionable insights for product development.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The tangible positive impact of technology on people's everyday life makes me passionate about being in the tech space. Technology has made impossible possible, e.g., real-time communication anywhere, easy access to knowledge and health monitor and tracking, which improve the quality of our life.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Build a community that you can lean in. The community can be your peers, mentors, coaches, sponsors or a combination of all of the above, who will provide help, support, and guidance for your career in tech.
Laura Uzcategui
Tell us more about your role.
I've been working as a Software Engineer all my career, mainly focused on Data. One of my favorite roles so far is to work in the ML Platform team @ Workday where we got to create a High scalable ML Platform from scratch to be able to stream data from many services to our secure data store so ML engineers could build their AI models.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
For the last 3 months, I've been working on a personal and professional project that I've been wanting to do for a while now, which is, I'm enrolled full time in AI Professional Program @ Stanford and It has been the best experience I could have wished for, allowing me to grow professionally on acquiring state-of-the-art techniques from recognized faculty and professionals in the industry.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The ability to go from not knowing something to being able to build anything if you really want to, the fact that you can transform/turn ideas into reality using science and technology is what motivates me every day.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Don't give up when you are finding it hard to enter the tech space or when you are learning something, every step you make is a step towards achieving your goal, and believe me It counts and you will be able to see how far you have walked once you look back in time. Stay curious and study every day if you can and you will see the rewards coming towards you.
Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
Leigh Johnson
Tell us more about your role.
I'm a Staff Engineer on the Cloud Economics team at Stack. We work on an interesting mix of financial forecasting, internal tools/internal consulting, and system profiling.
My role is to identify projects with strategic value for Slack’s engineering organization, set/drive roadmaps, and empower my team to accomplish the best engineering work of their lives.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I keep my technical skills sharp by building/researching embedded machine learning applications, AKA TinyML. I'm particularly proud of PrintNanny, which uses computer vision to monitor 3D printers for defects and safety hazards.
If you’re looking to get started with TinyML or computer vision on a Raspberry Pi, I publish tutorials over at [https://bitsy.ai/].
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I’ve always identified with Maker/DIY culture, which can be loosely defined as the drive to “make something out of nothing.” Makers tend to be intensively creative, aren’t intimidated by tough problems or repeated failure, and are lifelong learners fueled by inner passion.
One of the reasons I’m so excited about PrintNanny is that I get to empower fellow Makers in 3D printing community! I get to wake up and serve brilliant inventors & artists who are driven to manifest their creations in the real-world. How cool is that!?
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Don’t let anyone define what your success should look like. Defining your own success is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself, those you care about, and those who depend on you.
Actions on Google
Toni Klopfenstein
Guest’s Location: Colorado, USA
Tell us more about your role.
I'm a developer relations engineer, which means I get to engage with developers both internally at Google and externally in the community. This work also includes testing products, designing educational and outreach materials to support products, advocating for better developer experiences, engaging with the community at events...many different things! I really enjoy the variety in the work and the chance to engage with so many developers and experts in different areas.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I've been working on Google Home for quite a while now, helping developers build smart devices for the home. I'm very excited to see the new opportunities and growth in the space once the Matter protocol launches (an industry-wide, open protocol for smart devices) - it's going to make it easier for developers to build for multiple platforms, and will improve the overall user experience of setting up smart devices.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I love helping people grow their own skills in tech - whether that's through mentorship or educating folks on new tools and tech. The "a-ha!" moment when someone learns something new is one of my favorite things - and it empowers them to go build even more new and exciting tech!
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Don't be afraid to ask for what you need - whether that's mentorship, support or growth in your role, or time to sit down and walk through a process or design you haven't fully understood yet (those questions can often lead to better design of the product as well!). I wish I had asked more earlier in my career, so it's never too early to start practicing that skill.
Jessica Earley-Cha
Guest’s Location: California, USA
Tell us more about your role.
I'm a Developer Relations Engineer for Google Assistant, which means that I work on making it easier for 3rd party developers to build for Google Assistant.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
We launched a learning pathway that teaches Android Developers how to include voice via Google Assistant, check it out -> goo.gle/appactions-pathway
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Two things: first being able to make a positive impact on the world and second supporting underrepresented people on their journey in tech.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Find people, organizations and communities in the areas of tech you’re interested in. Look for organizations/communities that speak to your passions and your identity, then reach out and ask for informational interviews.
Women Techmakers
Marian Villa
Guest’s Location: Medellín, Colombia
Tell us more about your role.
My role is as Sr. Fullstack Product Designer at NodeSource. I believe that what connected me with NodeSource was the community. Something beautiful I want to share is that my first “hello world” was created with Javascript and specifically with Node.js.This happened in a NodeSchool workshop led by the Javascript community in my city. With male mentors supporting our efforts, we also created a community called 'Pioneras'. Today, Pioneras is a non-profit organization with a direct impact in 8 main cities in Colombia, South America, and 1,200 women, most of them with poor backgrounds.
The NodeSource's baseline is "A sincere desire to help others." and I strongly agreed with this. That's why I agreed to join the team and support our engineer and developers team with Marketing and Design.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I am very excited to support my team with the launch of the SaaS version of our product, N|Solid. In a world where security and performance are top priorities, I enjoy being part of a team that helps companies and developers to build the best experience for their stakeholders and for themselves.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Helping others for a purpose through and with technology.
I am moved by social causes, and working with women on the ground is part of my legacy. Working to include more women in tech means understanding that we are a majority-minority in the world. According to the UN, women make up the highest percentage of poor people in the world. We still have a lot of work to do to include others' voices in our systems, applications, and in general in our society. Being feminist should be the standard for men too because this conversation is about equity and covering a historical debt. For me, it's a political act of empathy—the right thing to do.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Be resilient and try one day at a time. We don't need to be perfect; we need the energy, the focus, and the purpose clear. Please work with your mentors, establish your plan, and follow it with enthusiasm, passion, and hard work.
Madona Syombua
Guest’s Location: New York, USA
Tell us more about your role.
I work as Android Engineer III at Streem Inc, where I specialize in engineering exceptional mobile experiences for the Android platform. Currently, I’m building a brilliant, human-centered software development kit that leverages Augmented Reality, Computer Vision, and Artificial Intelligence. I am also a GDE Android, Women Techmakers Ambassador, and Global Lead Women Who Code Mobile Volunteer.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
My favorite project of all time is Budgeting Buddy. Budgeting Buddy is a simple App meant to help maintain your monthly and daily budgets, the app is free, and you should be able to enjoy all free features without problems. It has now almost 10K downloads and could not be more than proud. You can download it for free here.
I am also working on Android Dev Hangout Twitter spaces, which has been amazing, and I get to hang with the best Android Engineers from around the world.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
For me, what makes me passionate about the tech space is the community. I have found value in community engagement and community building overall. I have met amazing women in tech and in different stacks who have shared valuable knowledge with me. In addition, the Android Community is the best and always very welcoming.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Our industry is not easy. It can be frustrating, nerve-wracking, tedious, and you will feel like you are not good enough. My advice is, you belong, you are enough, and even though our industry is all learning, the reward of seeing what you build being used by users is satisfying. In addition, be ready to always learn new technologies, this is not always easy but it is fun. You got this!
Nawal Husain Alhamwi
Guest’s location: Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tell us more about your role.
Ever since I started the very first GDG Jeddah event in my own university, I knew that I loved contributing to the community whether it was by giving technical workshops on Flutter, managing the operations of the events in my community in Saudi Arabia like the WTM Saudi & even in the global communities like the Flutter Community, Flutteristas, & more. Currently, I manage the operations in my company, hold events for big entities in Saudi Arabia, & build Flutter applications. Working in both the operation management & the software developmental fields makes me realize that both fields have a common factor in their DNA & that is everything is composed of manageable use cases that when it's broken down you get to see the harmonious anatomy of the operation itself.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The fact that the tech industry is quickly evolving makes me feel like I always need to stay up to date at the same pace. I enjoy learning about new use cases & new topics as this is the gasoline to my spirit. Moreover, one of my convictions is that everyone is welcomed in all technical communities because it’s their right to have their voices heard & recognized. I’m lucky to have the chance to be amongst such communities where diversity & inclusivity are celebrated. I believe that it's our responsibility to make sure that our community is a healthy community.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
No matter what, never give up. Your learning journey will be a roller coaster so enjoy the ride & make sure that the ride is inclusively friendly for all people.
Always keep building in the community, it’s a family!
OSS
Erin McKean
Guests location: San Francisco, CA
Tell us more about your role.
I work in Google's Open Source Programs Office, creating and updating documentation to enable Googlers and Characters to participate in open source, and supporting and maintaining tools and programs to help open source projects have better documentation, including Season of Docs and the Docsy documentation theme.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
OSPO recently relaunched the opensource.google site to be the public face of Google's open source work—it now includes more information about our programs and events, and uses the DevSite platform.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
My background is in reference publishing (I also run Wordnik, a large online dictionary) and I love to tell people how great tech can be for curious people who love to write! If you enjoy learning new things and then turning around and explaining them clearly to other people, check out technical writing! Tech changes so quickly that you never get bored.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Tech isn't a monolith—take some time to explore and experiment to find domains and topics that appeal to you. Skimming newsletters on lots of different topics (databases, devops, technical writing, APIs, UX, languages, security, webdev, etc.) will give you a high-level view of what people are talking about and context on the wider tech landscape.
Android
Maru Ahues
Guest’s Location: Mountain View, California, US
Tell us more about your role.
I'm the Director of Android Developer Relations. My team's mission is to help make it easier and more valuable for developers to build great experiences on Android.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
We had our Android Developer Summit in the Fall and we're getting ready for Google I/O this year. I'm excited about connecting with developers to share what's new in Android.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I'm a developer and I've been in tech for many years. I love technology but I'm more interested in how technology enables people to live better and happier lives. This is why I love my job, developers are building experiences that are used by billions of users on Android, experiences that enable us to connect, and be more productive and even have more fun.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Technology changes rapidly, so don't get too attached to a language or framework, learn the concepts and the value so you can transition to new technologies more easily in the future.
Elif Boncuk
Guest’s Location: Turkey
Tell us more about your role.
I work as Digital Solutions Engineering Manager at Garanti BBVA's Digital Banking unit which develops Garanti BBVA mobile banking/internet application. I’m leading 20+ software engineers working in 9 different agile teams.
My actual work is a combination of people management, project management, technical leadership, working on team/division strategy and some operational tasks. Most of my work is getting engaged with people, an endless learning path.
Hiring the right people, helping the people grow as a coach, building a trusted environment, encouraging them, keeping the team motivated are the main pillars of people management. For project management and technology leadership, EMs are on facilitator roles at Garanti BBVA. The agile teams have full ownership of the product. My role is to help them prioritize the work, prepare and achieve their goals, drive the right path, prepare the roadmap, manage dependencies and to challenge at some points asking questions.
Beside my career at Garanti BBVA, I have been actively trying to take part in software communities, especially for the last 5-6 years. I volunteered as an organizer in Google Developer Group and Women Techmakers Istanbul communities for about 3 years. Now, for the last 2.5 years, I have been at Mobiler.dev as a community advisor. I am a Google Developer Expert on Android. During this time, I have taken part in many local/foreign meetups/conferences as a speaker/participant, there are also groups of hackathons and mentorships. I'm also the facilitator of internal Android & iOS communities inside Garanti BBVA. Communities have an incredible contribution to our lives, so I always try to spend as much time as I can on them.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I'm working with Digital Onboarding, Login, Financial Health, Gateway and Engagement domains. I love each part of it. We do a great job on each team :)
As a personal project I can mention, I started to write about my experiences and share some articles for new EMs on my personal blog which I was planning for a while. It's very exciting for me.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The people working on Science and Technology are the creators, inventors, and artists of the digital age. Big or small, each step changes how we live in a good or bad way according to how we use it. I love being a part of this creation with endless learning opportunities.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
I advise them, if they can, to find a mentor. This makes a huge difference. If not, it’s ok. Following the trends, engaging with communities, reading articles, talking with people who are working in similar jobs is very important. Especially people in communities are people who like to share, help each other, and are happy with the success of others.
One more thing not just for us but for every field, surround yourself with people who are highly motivated, open to learning, positive, and challenge both themselves and you. Work together, learn, and pursue opportunities.
Firebase
Krista Seiden
Guest’s Location: San Francisco, California, US
Tell us more about your role.
I'm the Founder & Principal Consultant of KS Digital, a Digital Analytics consultancy and online course academy. I work with businesses from all over the world to help them develop strategies for their Digital Analytics set up, implement those strategies, and help them report on business health and success. I also teach several courses about Google Analytics 4 through KS Digital Academy.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I'm extremely excited and proud about the work I'm doing with KS Digital Academy. I'm focused on teaching users how to transition from Google Analytics Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, and love being able to see the lightbulb come on when teaching a new concept or when a student takes what they've learned and puts it into practice. These two tools are very different, and so it's important to cover topics both basic and advanced. My students definitely keep me on my toes with their curiosity and I love continually updating and adding content to help them keep learning!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Tech is exciting! Products and services in tech are constantly evolving and getting better, and I love being on the cutting edge of everything new. I'm also very passionate about getting more women into tech careers, and promoting a more equal and diverse balance of product managers, analysts, engineers, developers, and more in the tech space.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Two things here: The first is to learn from others that are doing what you want to do - follow them on Twitter or LinkedIn, read their blogs, subscribe to their newsletters, etc. I call this informal mentorship (where they don't even realize they are being a sort of mentor to you), and it's partially how I got my start in tech. The second thing is while you are learning from others, get hands on! If you want to get into development, start building something. If you want to get into Digital Analytics, install Google Analytics on a blog or website that you own (as a bonus, you can learn how to create a blog or website!), or volunteer for a non-profit or small business that may need help with analytics. You learn by doing!
Nana Janashia
Guest’s Location: Austria
Tell us more about your role.
I consider myself a tech entrepreneur. I have created a personal brand and a company around it called "TechWorld with Nana" to deliver high quality DevOps educational content. We are educating 1000s of people daily in DevOps engineering with our YouTube videos, online courses, and educational programs.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
One of the most exciting projects was the creation of our DevOps bootcamp. It was quite a challenge, since there was no similar program out there, when I started creating it. It was most challenging in terms of creating the curriculum, the structure, in order to make it less overwhelming for the students. I ended up covering around 15 different DevOps technologies that were essential for a well-rounded DevOps engineer, who could from day 1 build end to end DevOps processes at work. After months of work, exchange with industry experts and technology developers, we created a compact but complete DevOps program. I personally learned a ton more and increased not only my DevOps skills but also teaching and content delivery skills.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The speed of development in tech space is unbelievable and while sometimes overwhelming. It's also very exciting to see new cool tools being developed all the time and new creative ways of solving common problems. So overall it's an exciting space to be in, especially as an educator who needs to keep up with all the new tools, concepts, and developments.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
I believe the combination of learning by doing, but also taking a step back in between to also understand the concepts and big picture of whatever technology you are learning, is the best way to become proficient in any tool. Also, don't try to learn everything at once. Knowing fewer things properly without knowledge gaps is far more beneficial than knowing a little bit of everything, but on a shallow level.
I know from experience that trying to use technologies at work that you don't fully understand, since you didn't have enough time to properly learn them (because of the time pressure etc), can make your work much more difficult. So it always pays off to be patient while learning and not rushing into things without understanding the main concepts :)
Flutter
Renuka Kelkar
Guest’s Location: London, UK
Tell us more about your role.
I am currently Co-Organizing the Flutter Festival here in London. I am also giving speeches and workshops at many Google Developer Students Clubs (GDSC). I would be presenting the 'Slivers in Flutter' during my talk at Flutter Festival. Along with this activity, I am also mentoring women in Tech as part of the WomenTechMaker Initiative.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I have worked on a Community Project where we have developed a Microbiome awareness App for the schools in India as part of Global Indian Scientists & Technocrats!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
There are very few women in Tech today hence my passion to bring more Women in Technology with my initiative called TechPowerGirls. As part of that Community, we empower and train women who had 5+ years of gap in their IT career and now looking to upskill themselves with Flutter app development.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Follow your passion. There will be tons of challenges you may face but never lose the focus!
Esra Kadah
Guest’s Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Tell us more about your role.
I am currently working as a Flutter developer, and stepping up in the community back again with new sessions and events about Flutter & Women Techmakers. After my career change, I am a lot happier than before, doing a job that I am passionate about and love. I am trying to help others discover our passion and encourage them to follow!
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
For the project, we are passionately building a product for health optimization, and making it social. As a person who tracks her own information with wearables, and into mobile development, this is the best project that I have ever been in and feel passionate about. I would like to mention joinvitalhealth.com, where you can see the upcoming application and the latest updates about it. It is super exciting, and amazing to share! It is improving me both as a person, technically.. in every way. It is my current passion and biggest excitement.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Being able to touch other lives and influence them for good. I love being involved in projects that help others, increase the quality of their lives, and do something good for any person/living being. I think the best part of it is seeing the good effect of you on others. This boosts me like crazy!
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Don't be afraid to give up and start again! What I mean with that is, if you feel uncomfortable, not good in your current environment, something that burns you out and gives you too much stress, be aware of it. If it is time to give up on it, give up. It might be not the right technology to focus on, or not the right team or company to work with. Know the time to give up before it burns you out. Because these bad experiences can drive you out of 'even the tech area' and push you out of your passion. Always be aware of your environment, and always pursue what is better for you and your mental health.
Chrome Dev
Anna Cook
Guest’s Location: United States
Tell us more about your role.
I am a Senior Accessibility Designer, so I help ensure experiences are designed and developed with accessibility and inclusivity integrated into our strategy. This means that I use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and advocate for user research with disabled folks to work towards accessible and holistically inclusive products. I also work with designers to help them understand how to make their work accessible. Accessible product design and development is essential to ensuring that the experiences we deliver are truly capable of meeting the needs of our users. I enjoy the work I do, and I'm so excited to see accessibility become more of a priority across our community.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
One of the most exciting things I do is train designers to practice inclusive design thinking to deliver more accessible designs. Those training sessions can take time because we ask designers to rethink how they work, but it's so worth it. My favorite moment is always when I can see the concepts we are discussing really "click" for a designer. To watch individuals and our industry as a whole advocate for accessibility means a lot to me.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I love being in tech because we can use it to create a more equitable world by using technology mindfully. Even the most seemingly dull experiences have the power to influence the lives of so many. When we intentionally use technology to create a more equitable world, we can flip systems that have been traditionally designed to exclude. There are also negatives to technology, depending on how we use it and our intentions. I look for spaces to change existing systems and challenge generations of biases.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Early in your career, everyone will give you different advice on succeeding. Don't be afraid to redefine what success means for you, even if it challenges the status quo. The most outstanding achievements can be made in transforming what exists. So always own your definition of success, even when it means making change.
Miriam Suzanne
Guest’s Location: Denver, Colorado, US
Tell us more about your role.
I've always had a wide range of interests in and outside of tech, so I often bounce between roles. In order to make that work, I've been self-employed for nearly 20 years -- starting [OddBird](https://oddbird.net) (a web software agency) with my brothers in 2008, which has grown into a team of 9 excellent designers and developers. That has provided me with a stable 'job' that also has the flexibility to pursue a variety of projects as they come along.
Some of my time is spent working on client or internal software with that team, but these days we've also had the opportunity to work on designing and testing new features in CSS, HTML, and Sass. I'm now an Invited Expert to the W3C CSS Working Group, and also part of the Sass core team -- and the OddBird team has been helping out on both fronts. It's been a lot of fun getting to explore these new roles, and new projects -- and I'm really thankful to have a team like OddBird that supports and encourages that exploration. I wouldn't be where I am without them.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I'm very excited about the new features that are coming to CSS, and the opportunity to be part of that process. In particular, I think the combination of Cascade Layers, Container Queries, and Scope will fundamentally change how CSS is written in the future. It's an exciting time to be a designer (or 'design engineer') on the web.
I also get to work on those specifications with people I look up to, like the CSSWG chairs (Alan Stearns & Rossen Atanassov), the co-authors on these specifications (Elika Etemad, Tab Atkins, and Florian Rivoal), the browser developers I interact with regularly (Nicole Sullivan, Jen Simmons, among many others), and my wonderful collaborators at OddBird.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I'm mostly passionate about people -- finding ways to combine our diverse experiences and interests into things that brings us joy, or helps make the world more livable. And there's a wide range in that: from making art together (I have two bands and a theater company I work with), to building a company that respects people's diverse interests outside work, to making software that will help improve someone's work-flow, or even have broader impact on a community.
I became involved with tech somewhat accidentally through CSS, which seemed like a strange and exciting (somewhat utopian) performance-art project. The language is built to take input from everyone involved (users, browsers, devices, and website authors), combine those styles together, and somehow result in a page that looks good on any combination of devices and interfaces -- visual and non-visual -- across languages, writing modes, etc. This is fundamentally different from most media, which are entirely controlled by the authors.
The audacity of this project keeps me curious and involved. But also, I have such a lovely team that provides me all this flexibility to explore new ideas with interesting people, while paying my rent. I feel very lucky to be where I am.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Things have changed a lot since I started. In the early 2000's, the web (and CSS in particular) was still very new, and it didn't feel like a massive industry I would need to break into. Hopefully my advice is still relevant.
Primarily, I would say: a lot of the advice out there assumes everyone wants the same thing — a job at one of the big tech companies. But there are many other ways to be in the tech space, and many different career paths you can take — working at small non-profits, freelance, agency work, consulting, etc. Different choices will make sense for different people, and there's no 'right' path to choose. You can even build your own path, and invent jobs that didn't exist before.
Go make the career you want, something that feels livable and ethical for you. That's not always the same as saying 'do what you love' (capitalism makes that complicated) but rather 'take control where you can' to build a life that fits your needs. Find people who inspire and encourage you, support you, and share your values — then enjoy the collaboration.
Google Developer Groups
Taylor Poindexter
Guest’s Location: Arlington, TX, US
Tell us more about your role.
I am an Engineering Manager for a team of seven engineers. My job is to make sure my engineers have what they need to work efficiently and I am responsible for making sure our projects are delivered on time. Most importantly, I strive to make sure my engineers stay happy.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
It may be a copout answer, but since I'm relatively new to my team and I joined as a manager, I've been most excited about getting in and improving my team's lives in any way that I can. The team experienced a lot of change in 2020 so it feels good to bring stability and create relationships with each of them. It's that multiplier effect of management that I love so very much.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I know what it feels like to not feel welcomed in tech so now that I am more senior in my career, I'm passionate about doing my part to make sure everyone always feels welcomed. And even though I still have a ways to go before reaching where I want to be, I love the idea of other Black women seeing me in a role they aspire to be in and knowing that they can do it too.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Psychological safety will allow you to grow faster than you ever could have imagined, so seek it out. Find places that encourage you to ask questions, allow you to make calculated mistakes, and make you feel welcomed. Also, don't forget to network! The right connections will open doors and sometimes encourage strangers to take a chance on you.
Shruti Kapoor
Guest’s Location: San Francisco, CA, US
Tell us more about your role.
I am a Staff Engineer at PayPal in the Checkout team. I help develop applications that enable merchants to quickly add PayPal as a payment option to their business.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
I worked on a project recently where we integrated PayPal’s core Checkout experience with our new acquisition - Honey. This project was a lot of fun because I worked with browser extensions for the first time and understood what it means to be powering an extension in the browser, the security implications of having an extension, learnt how to create a secure gateway for transactions on client and server side and the workings of iframe components. It was a great learning experience for me and a chance to work on a product with high impact.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I love that with my work as a Software Engineer I am able to deliver experiences that enable people to carry out their business. I feel that the product I build is making an impact in people’s lives. I strive to produce the best version of my craft.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
The biggest advice I would offer is the same advice I got early in my career - ask for what you want - whether it is a project you really want to work on, a team you want to be on, or a promotion you feel you deserve.
Google Developer Student Clubs
Zhi Yi Ho
Tell us more about your role.
I am a Google Developer Student Club Lead at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Besides coping with my studies and a part-time job as a teaching assistant at my university, I organize tech-related events to spark inspiration in the students on their developer journey together with my amazing core team.
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
We have done a 7-sessions long workshop named Android Development In Action that took nearly 14 hours on Android development in Java language, especially tailored for our community - the students at the University of Malaya. Step by step, they are guided to build an Android application with Firebase and TensorFlow Lite integrated into it. After the workshop, there is a competition where they could modify their code and submit it. Our high-caliber judges from Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia reviewed the submissions and were amazed by how talented the students are! There is no word to describe this feeling of seeing the participants growing and shining. I am utterly proud of my core team for delivering such an impactful program and all the inspiring participants who persisted in this journey. Among the core team and participants, many who committed and delivered awesome contents are women. They are detailed, caring, and have a more artistic sense when designing the UI/UX experience.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
Tech enables creation. I love creating solutions that solve, most importantly, solutions that are impactful and meaningful, easing people’s lives. I enjoy being in the tech space also because there are always so many to learn. Knowledge is fascinating. Sharing my knowledge in tech to empower people is an even more wonderful experience for me.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Be ready to learn and jump right in. It will be extremely painful to start a new journey but I assure you that time reveals the path as long as you keep trying. It would be great if you meet more people in tech to get pieces of advice from them. Mentors are the second-most precious thing one could have during the journey, with a committed self as the number one most important criteria.
Google Developer Experts
Maureen Josephine
Guest’s Location: Kenya
Tell us more about your role.
My name is Maureen Josephine, a Software Engineer, a Google Developer Expert in Flutter & Dart, Technical Speaker, Technical writer, a Tech Communities Lover, Women Techmakers Ambassador, and a Flutterista!
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
Founded this WomenInTech ShoutOuts platform to recognize and give shoutouts to amazing women in the STEM field worldwide for the good work they are doing and really proud of the fact that we gave shoutouts to 52 womenInSTEM worldwide in 2021. Besides that, am working on a couple of Open source projects including this womenintechblog.dev, and other Flutter projects. Currently preparing for some Technicals talks in line with Flutter Festivals and drafting some Technical articles as well.
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
I love creating and Tech space gives me that chance to explore and create applications that make life easier. I love how Tech communities are so welcoming and not discriminating based on one's location, over the years, I have made global friends, and it's satisfying connecting and learning from them.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
To those starting off, there's no shame in asking something you don’t know about since we keep learning every day. Identify your area of interest and build up on it, keep practicing and be consistent, your efforts will surely pay off one day.
Sakina Abbas
Guest’s location: Karachi, Pakistan
Tell us more about your role.
I am the Co-Founder and CEO at Reactree, a Software House that we got registered back when I was still in university. Currently, I'm leading mobile application development at my company. I coordinate with our clients on a daily basis, as well as with my team, to ensure that our apps are seamlessly catering to the requirements with a well structured and scalable code.
I'm also the first female Google Developer Expert for Flutter and Dart in Pakistan and an active contributor to various Developer communities. You will often find me engaged with Flutter Karachi, Pakistan, Women Developer Academy by Google Developers Space, Singapore, Assembly F - and many more!
Is there a project you've worked on recently that you're excited to share?
There's a B2B2C marketplace product that I, along with my team, have been working on for an international startup for over 1 year now, and it's about to be launched!
The product comprises of multiple interfaces for about 5 different stakeholders spanning across 3 platforms - Android, iOS and Web. Here, Flutter was used to build the mobile apps and Angular for the web apps.
There were times when we faced technical challenges during the apps' development, such as working with Isolates and background services in Flutter. There was just 1 article on Medium and a thousand questions in our minds, but with a little bit of experimentation here and there, we finally got it to work!
What makes you passionate about being in the tech space?
The fact that it enables me to solve real world problems really inspires me to keep pursuing technology.
In my case, creating mobile apps allows me to see their impact right before my eyes - whether it's a business process simplified and digitized or some real world problem solved.
Additionally, because I'm an avid gamer, I not only enjoy playing games but love creating them as well! So if there's a game that I want to play that doesn't yet exist, I can always create it - easy peasy!
What is the biggest piece of advice you would offer professionals starting in the tech space?
Be experimental! Always be willing to try different approaches to solving a problem, so that you can learn what works and what doesn't. I know and understand that competition is tough in the tech industry, and you might often feel overwhelmed to keep up, outperform others or solve a crazy problem.
So trust and believe in yourself because if you don't, no one else will either.
Anyone can acquire technical skills by studying online courses these days, but the very confidence in your own abilities and the resilience in trying again and again in spite of the failures is what draws the line between successful and unsuccessful people!
