Meet Mariam Olajumoke Garba
“I've always been so obsessed with anything that had to do with computers back when i was in secondary school.The first time i operated a computer was when it dawned on me that this was what I've got to do.since then,i’ve been trying to improve myself in the technology field.What inspired me to start coding was the fact that i didn’t want to graduate with a B.Sc Computer Science without having the basic skills i should have such as programming,web design,graphics design etc.Also,i wanted to prove the misconception that coding is not a woman’s job wrong.”
“I just fell in love with coding and i love what i do with it. you know when you love something so much that you can go to the extreme to get anything done,that’s what keeps driving me.I feel so much Joy doing it.I learnt to start coding during the first holiday we had in my first year in school,i got some collections of video tutorials and eBooks from a friend of mine Abdul-Samii Ajala who’s currently studying telecommunication science.The holiday lasted for two weeks and during that period,i was indoors watching the tutorial videos and sometimes reading the eBooks and also practicing what i had read and watched at the same time.Initially, when i started programming,it was really difficult for me to understand how the whole process works and also how to manage my time and combine it with my academics,sometimes i could be debugging a code for several hours and not find a solution to it,i was frustrated and most times just shut down the computer and stay away from it for days,but because of the drive that i love it so much and that i wanted to know more, i always end up going back to it till i get it fixed.Now I code in Html,Css, Javascript, Java,php, C, C++,C#, Asp.net and also familiar with several Javascript framework such as Angular Js, Node.Js, Backbone.Js, as well as PHP framework such as Codeigniter.”
“I’m a student,currently studying computer science in University of Ilorin,and in my finals.Currently we have four tech communities in my school which are: Google Developers Group, Free Code Camp, Codulab Code Class and the Women Techmakers Community.The tech communities are partly active due to some of the restrictions given by the school authorities. I’m the Women Techmakers Lead for Ilorin,and this has made several impact in my journey through tech by allowing me meet different sets of people that have built a lot of things with tech, It has also enabled me leverage all the tech resources i’m exposed to,and to impart other women and help drive them into the Tech world.”
“I once built an optimization tool for solving a software engineering problem called the next release problem. The next release problem is a problem that occurs when software project managers wants to make a decision on the sets of stakeholders they should satisfy as well as the set of requirements they should satisfy in the next release of their software products based on some sets of constraints e.g budget,risk etc. This means a way of maximizing stakeholders satisfaction as well as minimizing the cost of developing some set of requirements.I used an hybrid metaheuristic algorithm known as Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm with Tabu search as its local search in solving the next release problem.I’m proud of this work because I've never done anything like it before,it’s a novel area which i just decided to work on and i challenged myself to work on something entirely different from the major web and mobile apps i’m used to building.i felt really good and happy after working on this project,because i was exposed to several algorithms that can be used in solving optimization problems such as Simulated Annealing,Variable Neighborhood Search,Genetic Algorithms and several others.Abdul-Lateed Balogun and I worked together on this project.”
“My role models are Marissa Meyer,the former yahoo president. i Chose her for the fact that she’s a woman and was still able to lead one of the best tech industry in the world even with the fact that the environment is full of the stereotype that Tech is meant for Men. Another is Sanni Oluwatoyin Yetunde, Currently works at Andela and is a cofounder at Techinpink.com. She’s made a lot of impact and I've learnt a lot from her personally. I got several remote internships through her,one of which was with a US based Company called Carednd,and through this platform,i acquired some new skills,worked with several people remotely and also learnt the underlying operations of how a Tech company works in general. This was a very good initiative i was exposed to,which i’m very grateful for.”
“My highest point so far is that i’m one of the top 5 best students in my department and also at the same time,very vibrant in the technology field,not just in academics alone.Whenever i’m faced with challenges,The only thing i do is i never give up,there’s a tip i usually follow “Rest If You Must,But Don’t You Quit!”
“In five years time, i see myself changing the face of technology and driving more women into technology. I intend to create an initiative of my own which will help provide all the tools and learning environment women need to improve their current skill sets which will bridge the technology gender gap.Also i would love to go further into Robotics,this is because i want technology to work for me,i don’t want to keep doing tasks which technology can help me solve,like washing a car,going on errands,shopping (possibly) etc.”
“ I hope to see technology bring the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Africa,because there are so many problems that can be solved with this. If i were to change something in the tech industry, that would be to increase the percentage of people working from home rather than having to go to the office environment every day.”
“Don’t stop doing what you’re doing,don’t stop developing yourself,keep improving your skills,be good at whatever you’re doing and don’t let the stereotype that Tech is meant for men discourage you from doing what you’re meant to do.And Lastly,Believe in yourself,only you can get you where you want to be.”
Facebook: Mariam Garba Mokeam
Instagram: @mokeam
Linkedin: Mariam Garba
Github: www.github.com/mokeam
Twitter: @mokeam
