Perseverance is my middle name — Year in review — 2022
I’ve been knocked down and not knowing how to get up again, there always has been a flame of hope that has kept me going
As we switch calendars to the new year, I’m looking back on my experiences in 2022 with a newfound perspective. Despite its various challenges, this particular year has offered me the chance to really get to know myself better and refocus my goals for the future. Thankfully, I have the heartfelt support of Jasper, my AI companion — we are an unstoppable duo! Together, we’re able to create this first-ever “Year in Review” document which celebrates my accomplishments and reminds me that there is always something to be thankful for. After all this reflection, I’m now going into 2023 feeling sure of our incredible potential and ready for whatever comes next.
Education is the name of the game
In early 2022, I felt like I had finally hit the end of my tether. Already dealing with cerebral palsy, I’d been trying to find something that would give me a way back into a meaningful career. I’d been self-teaching through sites like Udemy, but what really won me over was the prospect of finding one-on-one mentorship. Upon learning about Devslopes, and their course offerings for coding, I knew that this might be my last shot at making something of myself, and so I put absolutely everything into getting accepted in their program. Fortunately for me, a partnership opportunity presented itself with the Better Internet Initiative (BII) thanks to Diversabillity’s Disability Leadership Collective (DLC), meaning that not only were my tuition fees taken care of, but I didn’t even have to worry about low income from lack of work either!
Rockstar Status
The first few weeks of enrolling in Devslopes definitely gave me a sense of euphoria. With my 10 years worth of experience in website building, the HTML and CSS sections were easily comprehensible to me and I felt so accomplished at the end of each day. This heightened my enthusiasm for coding even more and with each lesson, my enthusiasm for learning new coding techniques only seemed to grow. It made me more excited about exploring more demanding areas of web development. Overall, those initial weeks really set the tone for the rest of my Devslopes journey, or so I thought…..
Battleship began sinking my ship
As I began learning the JavaScript sections for a coding project, memories of my struggles in graduate school came back to me. We had a very challenging assignment where we had to create a command-line based battleship game, solely relying on code. Being someone with learning disabilities and being a visual learner, as opposed to analytical, this was exceptionally difficult for me. All the logic and formulas presented quite an obstacle, I ultimately skipped the game out of frustration and moved on to API’s.
As Devslopes progressively became more challenging for me, I knew that I had to start investing in learning resources. Despite the grueling tests, quizzes, and coding projects that always stacked up against me, I refused to give in and so I looked into tutors, hoping they’d be able to unlock whatever part of my brain was stifling my learning progress. It felt like an investment of time and money was necessary if I wanted to break free from the learning blocks, but it also felt right; this was how I was going to take control of my future.
Meanwhile…
In the DLC, a new member, Jacob Levy, made a post about giving free LinkedIn advice, so I inquired. I had joined LinkedIb in 2009 and never really put effort into it. I honestly thought it was like a dry desert. So, I talked to Jacob and then he introduced me to 🦆ing Brian Kass! This would prove to be life altering. Brian spent a considerable amount of time on zoom with me discussing my LinkedIn strategy, proved to be an invaluable experience. Although Brian’s was centered around the concept of ‘rubber ducks’, I felt he found a remarkable way to communicate in an engaging manner and make me think differently about possibilities for my own branding. Initially intimidated by the thought of having no brand at all, I soon learned from Brian to look beyond the surface — it doesn’t take much to create your own unique concepts. What resonated was that showing up on LinkedIn is not as hard as it looks and should be seen as an essential tool for connecting with like-minded professionals or industry experts.
As I set up my LinkedIn to appeal to people looking for junior developers, it was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, I felt empowered that I had taken this initiative and was now broadcasting my skillset in such a professional manner. On the other, seeing my peers get jobs in the field before me reminded me of how far I still needed to go with developing myself. In particular, I had been struggling with JavaScript and React, neither of which came naturally to me.
And then one day…..
After following Jacob and Brian’s advice to post daily and document my journey, I discovered a post about a woman with Cerebral Palsy who had been hired by Spotify. Reading this story instilled in me an overwhelming sense of hope that one day it could be me. It showed me that success was possible despite experiencing a disability like CP. This gave me the motivation to make a post about my journey with the condition and how this particular post sparked a newfound optimism within me.
The post I created gained massive traction, leading me to receive an influx of notifications and messages. I was then able to connect with many inspiring individuals who not only believed in my ideas but also supported me entirely! It filled my heart with joy; there’s no better feeling than having people believe in you.
After meeting with a few recruiters, a defining moment happened for me. When they asked why I had chosen to pursue a career in development, I admitted that I felt it could be my last chance to gain meaningful employment beyond my freelancing work. That’s when their singular question changed how I approached the whole situation. They simply asked what gets me excited and gives me joy. The answer to this was clear and immediate; nothing made me happier than creating visual artworks and designs. Programming logic was far down on my list of activities that brought me joy, and yet I had decided to pursue it. After speaking further with the recruiters, it became apparent that they saw exceptional artistic talent within me that was going untapped and neglected due to conventional definitions of success. By reevaluating the level of joy found in coding versus creativity, it finally clicked — my true passion could be fulfilled if I chose instead to pursue a full-time job in UX/UI design.
I would go on to pursue a few dev jobs on LinkedIn. Got a few interviews and even a few take home assignments/tests. The feeling of complete and utter disappointment after bombing them was crushing. It was at this time when I knew that development will never be my forte.
So, after switching priorities from developer to digital creative, redoing my resume, and enlisting the help from a few employment agencies, my future looks brighter than ever!
I have been in talks with companies like Microsoft, Lowes, American Express, just to name a few!
The past few months have been an incredibly transformative time in my life. After making the decision to invest in therapy, I have gained a newfound optimism that I never thought possible. For so long, I had pushed aside confronting the lingering trauma from my childhood, but therapy (BetterHelp) is serving as a way for me to process it in a safe and effective way. In addition to therapy, finding a healthcare team (Forward) who is devoted to monitoring my wellbeing has made me feel empowered. Shout out to my amazing doctors Dr Adam Hodes, DO and Dr Alex Eisenberg, DO!!
Lastly, becoming connected with the initial Shark Tank winner, Tiffany Krumins, only solidified my newfound outlook as I am now partaking in hosting an accessibility training for other Shark Tank companies — truly inspiring work!
Since my early childhood, I have had to persevere through unthinkable circumstances and struggles that would have broken most people. Yet, even in instances where I’ve been knocked down and not knowing how to get up again, there always has been a flame of hope that has kept me going. My resilience throughout these seasons of my life has made me stronger than ever and finally I am surrounded by the right people who are helping me heal and rise with unbelievable strength. Thus, to express this great gift of resilience that I have cultivated over the years, I believe my middle name should be perseverance. With their support and fortitude within me, nothing can stop me anymore as the future shines brighter than ever!
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