Grace Under Pressure
How Amanda Hua Advocates for Gender Balance in Technology
When Amanda was a little girl growing up in Shanghai, China, her father’s work fascinated her. “I thought he was super smart,” she fondly recollects. His profession involved mapping space shuttle trajectories. He was gifted at math and science. Since both of Amanda’s parents were scientists, STEM subjects “felt natural and came naturally to me.”
Amanda recalls being very athletic as a child. This occasionally caused her some problems.
“I remember being in class and not focusing on what the teacher was saying because I was so obsessed with the upcoming final volleyball tournament,” she confesses. “I could literally see the ball coming at me and my mind would instantly map out strategies for meeting it and anticipating the opposing team’s next move.”
When Amanda’s parents, who were strict about academics, suggested cutting down on extra-curriculars, she found herself negotiating with them.
“I wanted to do everything,” she states. “I had to convince my parents that I could manage all my extracurricular activities without letting my grades suffer.” This awareness increased Amanda’s ability to focus.
“When you realize that you only have a certain amount of time to do what you love before you have to move on to the next thing, you quickly learn to eliminate all physical and mental distractions. China is a very competitive country. Whatever activity you do, you have to be the best at it. You have to rank in the top 5 or 10 to even have a chance of succeeding professionally. Every child in China is keenly aware of this and performs accordingly.”
Continue reading Amanda’s story at AnitaB.org…
This story was written by Saranya Murthy, Wogrammer Journalism Fellow. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Support our mission to celebrate more amazing women in tech, like the one featured here, by donating to AnitaB.org.
