Cohort Stories: Meet Yesenia
NYC: vol. 2, no. 17 — guest post by Yesenia Lopez Rodriguez
As a first-generation college graduate working a full-time job, I was able to complete my bachelors degree and then break into tech years later. I am proud to say that being a first-generation student taught me to push my limits and overcome many setbacks. My perseverance in the face of adversity turned into a defining trait. Over the years, I learned the importance of working hard and being a lifelong learner. Learning became a strength of mine, whether at school or in life. The challenges I overcame as a first-generation student allowed me to endure failing forward in a means to succeed.
I used my disadvantages as motivation to continue pursuing my personal and professional goals and learned to give myself grace when in the process of learning. I am in awe of how far I’ve come and look forward to the successes that lie ahead of me.
As a continual student and lifelong learner, I am excited to continue a career in technology. I appreciate the dense and evolving nature of technology, and recognize the need for constant adaptation. This means I will grow alongside my team, allowing me to leverage my skills and experiences to make meaningful contributions. Tech also creates countless opportunities of problem solving and collaboration. Whether it be learning from or teaching one another, it incentivizes me to overcome challenges head on. The satisfaction with the results of your creation makes the challenges worth wild. Going from an idea to the completion of your vision coming to life, and from not knowing how to approach anything to being creative in implementing the best techniques.
In tech, no day is ever the same but I appreciate the mystery that comes with daily challenges, continuous learning, and the ability to work individually or collaboratively with like minded individuals. My motivation is representation in tech. Growing up in Brooklyn, I was surrounded by different cultures and people so I never realized the importance of diversity and inclusivity until entering the world of tech. I saw the lack of representation and disadvantages Latin and Black communities face and want to be part of the cause for change. My goal is to inspire others and steer them along more pleasant pathways than the one I took.
My experiences has taught me lessons that I look forward to sharing with future generations. Every connection created along my journey holds the potential to contribute significantly to reshaping the narrative. Before Hack.Diversity I had quiet challenges to overcome, and now have a space and opportunity to voice it for future diversity in tech. I believe supporting and working together, we can succeed in increasing representation, leveraging our collective strength to influence positive change.
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