2019 GHC Scholar Spotlight: Dana Gould
Dana’s road into the technical world began with a math degree and a 7-year stint in the nonprofit world. In time, however, Dana began to crave opportunities to flex and hone her technical talents.
“I realized that technology was a chance to exercise all of my strengths. I can do work that makes me feel fulfilled AND live my commitment to social justice by…using my privilege as a white person to advocate for people of color.”
Dana enrolled in an online boot camp, but the independent work setup and a lack of female representation among students sometimes left her feeling isolated. Receiving a scholarship in 2019, Dana attended GHC, where she began to find a sense of belonging and community.
“The scholarship was an important step towards building a support system that will help you overcome the imposter syndrome that you’re feeling.”
The connections she forged at GHC allowed Dana to experience the power of being authentically herself and owning her unique differences as a member of the technical workforce.
“At GHC, I realized that recruiters didn’t want me to fit into a box and be like all the other engineers. They loved that I was passionate and excited, something I thought I needed to hide in interviews.”
Dana advises others to spend time understanding who they are outside of their technical role, first.
“Once you get into the tech world there’s going to be this feeling that you’re different and you’ll spend time thinking, ‘Maybe I should just change and be like everyone else.’ It takes knowing yourself to stand strong and turn those differences into your greatest assets.”
For Dana, GHC made all the difference and believes it can do the same for others looking to dive headfirst into the technical field.
“You’ll leave with a sense of belonging and excitement that you need to propel you into a great career!”
Did you know that AnitaB.org has a #GHC20 scholarship made just for women from alternative tech programs like boot camps and coding schools? To be notified when our 2021 Scholarships open, please fill out this interest form!
