My 2018

I wanted to write a quick reflection on the year of 2018, because it has certainly been a hugely pivotal year for me, and has involved a lot of personal growth and recovery.

Some of what I experienced and achieved this year:

• Graduated from UCL with a first class degree in Computer Science — This took a lot of personal strength to believe that I could still complete my degree despite everything that was going on at home. I honestly couldn’t believe that I graduated with the result I got, but to be honest I deserved it.

• Completed my dissertation on The Impact of Developer Tools on Web Accessibility — I finished my 50-page dissertation exploring how the use of developer tools impacts the implementation of the accessible web. This was a long and difficult task for me, and I had very little support from my university. Super proud of this one.

• Got my first job at Deliveroo as a Backend Software Engineer, and joined the Logistics Algorithms Team in September — I feel so grateful for this. I interviewed for this role in early 2018, and met really amazing people throughout the process. Really enjoying it so far, and am excited for the future.
• Learned Ruby on Rails and Go, and built my first production-ready React application — Within my first month and a half at my new job, I had already learned enough Ruby on Rails to be able to contribute to team tasks, and submitted a number of Go PR’s.
• Built and released my first internal tool at Deliveroo
• Used immutable.js, Redux Sagas and Rust for the first time — I have really enjoyed working with Sagas in particular. It is extremely useful for handling side-effects when using Redux!
• Used therapy and mindfulness to survive a traumatic experience — The Calm app, Forest app, and the productivity journal were some things which helped me compartmentalise and actually cope, and move forward, during this difficult time.
• Visited Singapore, Jordan, Lebanon, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy — I had the amazing opportunity to visit so many different places this year, being able to go skiing, visit beautiful monasteries, go shopping, go to a Michelin star restaurant for the first time, see Petra and the dead sea, and eat lots of beautiful Singaporean food. Truly grateful for all of these experiences.

• Wrote 3 successful blog posts about accessibility (here, here and here)
• Finally started working on running React workshops for gender minorities in tech (ReactRobins) with an awesome new friend — Watch this space, more info coming soon!
• Tried acrylic and gouache painting for the first time, and started painting with watercolours again

• Volunteered at Code First: Girls — I had an amazing time volunteering with the Imperial branch of Code First: Girls. The people on the course were fantastic, and the projects they produced were so inspired!
• Cooked pancakes for the first time (yum!)
• Learned how to use Adobe Illustrator — Finally getting to produce some more creative products now that I have learned how to use Illustrator. I have been spending loads of evenings designing cute logos and stickers.
• Got involved with helping with onboarding new engineers at Deliveroo
• Cleared up my skin
• Bought my first plant baby — I went to the beautiful Orchidya on Store Street in London, and bought some beautiful plants whom I love and cherish.

• Saw Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia, The Divide, SEXY by Vanessa Kisuule, and Matilda — I’ve been so lucky to have the chance to see some amazing plays and musicals this year. I’m trying to take advantage of living in London, and the lovely people I know in this amazing city! And I’m seeing Hamilton later this week!
• Survived our first family holiday without my mum
• Completed the personal finance course for engineers — I did this one if anybody is interested. It was really insightful and well-designed, and I felt like it was a really helpful introduction to all the aspects of personal finance you need to know, entering or working in the tech industry.
• Tried acrylic nails for the first time — This was an adventure. I have so much respect for people who wear their nails long all the time, it is a real test of stamina and perseverance.
• Had a tour of Parliament during their summer break — This was actually a really amazing experience, learning all about the history of our parliament and the beautiful buildings in Westminster.
• Completed the 5km Race for Life in Regent’s Park — An incredible and emotional experience all-round. There were so many inspirational people taking part and organising this event, and it meant so much to raise over £1.5k for Cancer Research UK along with it.

• Saw Sigrid and Imagine Dragons live!
• Went to Secret Cinema: Bladerunner — I would 100% recommend Secret Cinema for any film fan. It’s an over-the-top and incredibly architectured immersive experience.
• Went to my first conference by myself in Amsterdam (VueJS Amsterdam) — I got to see some incredibly inspiring people (especially Sarah Drasner!) speak, and learned a lot!

• Raised over £10,000 for St Peters Hospice

Although this year has been tough, I feel like I have come out of it a better, stronger and more empathetic person, and I’m excited for what is ahead. I’m also beyond grateful to the people who stuck with me through the past couple of years, and have supported me beyond belief.

Onwards and upwards, bitches.