To the women who are reading this post, don't give up.
We are capable. We have a place in this world.
We, too, belong.
This story is about struggle. A lot of struggle. It is not about meritocracy, it is about survival, about support, about opportunity. About the story of one that is the story of so many...
When I was 18 years old I lived in Aracaju and was one of the victims of the Microvilar flour (contraceptive) pill scandal (those who lived it, remember), that is, I got pregnant. As my dream was to graduate, I took the vestibular (Brazilian college entrance exam) and passed the superior technical course in Data Processing. I used to walk to and from the course and work to save my lunch money, which was always the same, and the only meal I had that day. In the second period of the course my computer broke, I had no money to fix it and no possibility to take a small baby to study in the lab. What did I do? What most women do: I dropped out. A present father who shared with me the responsibilities and sacrifices of raising a child would have made a difference. A support network would have made a difference. A college course with a day-care center attached so that mothers could study would have made a difference. My only option was to work. At that time I lost two jobs to sexual harassment. At home, I suffered domestic violence from my son's father, verbal aggression, death threats and social isolation. I spent six years in this situation.
At 24 I fled Aracaju and went to live in Recife, where part of my family lived. I took the vestibular again, I passed for Design at UFPE, I studied, was president of DA, organized events, got involved with research in usability and hypertexts, did my TCC about a digital platform for travelers and kept a huge interest in the technology area. I worked as an intern, took care of the house, studied, and raised my son, alone. I graduated, was laureate and entered the list of the 10 highest averages at UFPE. At 29 I got a full scholarship from the government of Japan and went to do my master's degree there. I studied Japanese intensively for a semester at Osaka University, was a researcher at Wakayama University and started my master's degree at Kobe Design University. I spent two years researching technology companies for my dissertation, learning about product engineering in Austria, understanding the dynamics of design teams in India and Dubai. Right before my final presentation, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear explosion, quarantine, deserted cities, fear. They begged me to come back. How could I come back after giving up so much? "I will only come back after I finish what I came here to do", I said. And I did, with an A. I finished because I received a full scholarship that guaranteed my housing, my food, my health, my transportation, my school. I finished because I wanted to give my son a better future. I finished because I spent sleepless nights dedicating myself. I quit because I had dedicated teachers. I quit because I had friends who didn't let me give up.
Two months ago, at the age of 40, I was selected to participate in a free program exclusively for women, called Women Dev, in partnership with Women Who Code. It was 8 whole Saturdays of a lot of learning. We had classes on UX, UI, Git, Github, Html, Css, Javascript, React, and Agile Methodologies. We still have activities together because the program has partnered with NGOs so that we have experience in real projects, resume and portfolio to insert ourselves in the job market. I felt 18 years old again, as if I had never given up and life had gone back to the beginning, to ground zero when I fell in love with programming for the first time.
Karina, Simone, Andreza, Gabi, Milena, Liv, Wil, and Luciana, I cannot thank you enough, and every single mentor that was part of this project. You brought this to life without any financial resources, relying only on the partnership with Cesar School. More than 30 women were benefited, 3 got new jobs in technology companies even before the program ended, 1 is going to São Paulo to be part of Reprograma. Thank you for this revolutionary act of encouraging more women in technology! It was beautiful! You have changed our lives...
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