This is a submission for the WeCoded 2026 Challenge: Echoes of Experience
Sometimes the difference between giving up and moving on is just a person believing in you.
I started coding when I was around nine years old.
My first program was written in LOGO, where I spent hours writing small programs using a funny looking triangular turtle that moved around the screen. You could tell it to move forward, turn and draw shapes, and little by little patterns would emerge. For a child, it was magical. A few instructions and suddenly the computer was drawing something I had imagined.
Back then I had no idea what a career in technology was like. I just knew that I loved making computers do things.
One thing that made my journey different from many stories I hear today was the support I received at home. My family, especially my father, unconditionally supported my interest in computers. At a time when many people still questioned whether girls should go into technology, he never did. For him it was simple: if he enjoyed it, he should stick with it.
That initial encouragement made a big difference.
The myth of the solo trip
When people talk about careers in technology, the story is often about individual effort: perseverance, hard work, determination.
And while those things matter, looking back I realize that something else played an equally important role: the facilitators.
Along my path there were always people who gave me a little push at the right time.
No big dramatic gestures. Just little nudges that made a big difference.
The first catalyst
Early in my career, I had a tech leader who noticed something about me before I fully recognized it myself.
I loved clean code.
I loved to experiment.
Hackathons excited me.
Instead of letting that remain just a personal interest, he organized a hackathon within the team.
At the time it just seemed like a fun activity. But it actually gave me confidence. It validated that my curiosity and enthusiasm for building things was important.
Sometimes all someone needs is that little sign that their passion is worth investing in.
find my voice
Later, in another organization, I faced a different challenge.
Technically I was confident, but public speaking terrified me.
Speaking in meetings, presenting ideas, addressing a room full of people… those things didn't come naturally to me.
An office manager at that organization noticed this and gently pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Encouraging me to present.
Encouraging me to speak.
Encouraging me to trust my voice.
I still remember a very simple piece of advice he gave me.
He said, "Start small. Just greet people in the morning."
His reasoning was simple. If you greeted people in the hallway or by the coffee machine, when you later saw them in a meeting room they would no longer feel like strangers. The room would feel a little less intimidating.
He also said something that stuck in my mind: smile. Maybe crack a little joke to ease the tension.
It seemed too simple at the time, but it worked. Little by little, those rooms full of unfamiliar faces began to become rooms with colleagues I already knew, if only through a quick morning greeting.
And little by little, talking no longer scared me so much.
Today I talk about topics that interest me deeply, especially identity and authentication in technology, something I am incredibly passionate about.
The reality of being heard
If you've worked in tech long enough, you've probably seen this happen.
Sometimes a woman's voice is ignored.
Ideas are overlooked.
The comments are not listened to.
Credit sometimes travels in unexpected directions.
It happens.
But there is also another truth.
There are also people who amplify voices.
People who pause in the room and say:
"I think she was making a very good point."
People who make sure ideas get attention
