Participant story: Melissa “Meia” (she/her)
“As a woman of color in tech who believes people’s needs are best met through the union of logic and empathy, I want to serve as the representation I wish I had.”
1) Tell us a little about your life.
Originally, I followed the path my Filipino-American family wanted for me, and became a nurse. I was ultimately unfulfilled on that path, so I decided to start over in tech. Completing this program has been a long time coming, so I am excited to do this program a second time, as I believe every step towards growing is never wasted.
2) What made you decide to pursue a software engineering career and apply for Techtonica?
Initially, when I heard of Techtonica, it felt like fate. Not only did I appreciate Techtonica’s mission to bridge the tech gap for folks from historically-marginalized backgrounds, but I felt so lucky to know about a program that provides a safe space and means for folks, like myself, who are invited and made to feel like we belong.
3) What are you most excited to learn while at Techtonica?
I’m excited to deepen my knowledge about JavaScript, React, and full-stack development. I would like to get more comfortable working with APIs and communicating well on an engineering team.
4) What do you want to contribute to or change about the tech industry?
I used to feel discouraged about pursuing a career in tech because of the generalizations people made about it. The most common one being that to thrive in this field, one requires a specific personality — usually purely logical at the expense of emotion. I believe there are a variety of strengths that can contribute to the tech industry in any job, including engineering. As a woman of color in tech who believes people’s needs are best met through the union of logic and empathy, I want to serve as the representation I wish I had. Furthermore, I hope the tech industry will improve in normalizing efforts to champion folks from underrepresented backgrounds.
5) What’s your dream project?
My dream project would combine my passion for mental health and software development. I hope to build an app that focuses on mental health management for folks with anxiety. Symptoms like panic attacks can be debilitating or disorienting, so I would like to help folks build their own anxiety “toolboxes” to get through those rough times. I’d like it to have an assessment tool to gauge level of stress and mood, videos to help users practice mindfulness, and the ability for the user to customize their own grounding exercises.
