Q: Uptime and its readers are focused on reliability. In your world, what is reliability?
Reliability is being able to perform well on a consistent level. In the technical world, this could be delivering on a user experience, creating a dependable product, or communicating well within a team to reach an objective. From my perspective, it’s producing those magical customer experiences where the consistency of the experience builds trust with the customer.
Q: What is the biggest challenge to overcome in the technical and engineering field?
Recruiting top talent is one of the biggest challenges in the technical field. When so much of the technical and engineering workforce is male, Caucasian, or Asian, we see a lack of gender and racial diversity. Less diversity in a technical team generally leads to products that do not appeal to a wide variety of people. In order to advance our innovation, we must attract engineering talent from all genders and races to work on the next generation’s products and user experiences.
Q: What is your advice for individuals interested in the engineering field?
I would advise that they start expanding their knowledge and focusing on their curiosity. In the past few years, there has been a huge influx of educational opportunities in technology, both online and offline. If one is interested in pursuing an engineering field, it could be beneficial to learn how to code or basic engineering principles.
Q: What resources are available for young women who are interested in connecting with others who share their same passion and direction?
There are many organizations and online resources that could help young women pursue their passion for computing. One that particularly comes to mind is Girls Who Code. I have had the fantastic privilege of working with this organization in the past; they do a consistently great job at connecting girls across America to coding resources and opportunities. Another resource is Codecademy, which offers free interactive coding lessons in Python, JavaScript and more.
Q: You are a strong, young woman with a passion for computer science and empowering other women in this industry. Who do you admire that inspired you the most?
I admire many people, but one person I especially admire is Grace Hopper. Hopper was a U.S. Navy rear admiral who created the world’s first computing compiler. Doing so made coding more accessible and allowed the progress of more technological developments. Hopper was one of the only prominent female computer scientists at the time and, despite pressure from her colleagues and general societal bias, she persevered and changed the world of technology.
Q: Where is one place you’ve never been that you want to travel to and why?
I would like to travel to Tel Aviv. The city has a vibrant start-up scene and is home to some of the most innovative companies in cryptography, mapping, satellite technology and finance.
Q: If you could have invented one thing, what would it be?
I would have liked to have created SpaceX because I think the work the company is doing in the realm of space transportation will revolutionize the way we travel in the future.
Q: What books do you recommend?
I would recommend Innovative State: "How New Technologies Can Transform Government," by Aneesh Chopra, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking," by Malcolm Gladwell, and "The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World" by Brad Stone.