Our Black in Tech series shares the inspirational stories of Black professionals in the tech industry at all levels of responsibility and across all job functions.
It is one of the ways we are trying to support a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce, as we hope these profiles will provide some guidance and advice for other Black professionals to pursue opportunities in the tech industry.
Each profile below features either a quote based on overcoming adversity or advice for black professionals. Make sure to check them out!
“The discipline instilled in me by my parents when I was growing up in Nigeria, where failure or giving up was not an option has been the bedrock of my mindset. The expectation on me is one of success so I have had to strive to achieve what is expected of me. Over the course of my career, I have learned the value of persistence, humility, and leadership by example. I am a person of faith and so to this I add prayers and my faith.”
“My perseverance, leaders, and support system have been attributed to my current success. There have been countless moments in my life where I have leaned on someone trustworthy for advice or assistance from professors, coaches, peers, or others, the importance of mentors is undeniable. My mentors have helped guide, direct, and shape my present situation and future opportunities for the better.”
"For myself, I attribute my success to the support I get from family and friends and never letting “what I am supposed to be” define me. I believe in the skills I have developed and the ability to improve those skills with proper training. As for obstacles, I have been subject to people not believing I could perform a job before even seeing qualifications. Recruiters and HR assuming one thing and then suddenly being surprised when interviewing me that I have a brain. Nothing more insulting than being told you “speak very well” during an interview. This, I have run into several times throughout my professional career.”
“Watching how hard my parents worked day in and day out while growing up showed me the kind of dedication I needed to have to be successful in life. I would also attribute the mindset I learned from playing basketball as a key contribution to my success. I personally believe basketball took the laziness away from me and shaped me into a competitor, which I then applied to all aspects of my life.”
“As a wise person, Warren Buffet once said, it's good to learn from your mistakes, it’s better to learn from other’s mistakes. I pay really close attention to other people's experiences, and I try to leverage that to my advantage, to my learning, to my improvement. Moreover, coming from an entrepreneurial family, I've been brought up with a lot of forbearance, so I'd say I am highly resilient. I perform well under pressure. I'm super open-minded and like to learn new things.”
“During the education process, it's extremely important to establish, extend and leverage your professional networks to explore. Reach out to black professionals in technology, solicit their thoughts and opinions, learn what it's really like on the inside. Focus on the networking and education aspects. I can tell you that black professionals in tech are eager to see more within the ranks and are more than willing to lend a hand.”
“As for obstacles, the biggest thing I faced was dealing with how to present insights on diversity and inclusion as a Black woman. Earlier in my career, I would downplay my identity as a Black woman and worry about coming across as self interested. Now I consider my identity and experiences as a Black woman to be part of my expertise, and now I freely share my story and my experiences in tandem with our research findings.”
“It is clear that black leaders and board members are scarce in the tech industry. That being said, I want my black colleagues to understand that our insights, culture, language, experiences, and drive are needed now! There are more opportunities than ever for you to take your place in this exciting industry. Technology breaks borders and companies are global citizens. In order to service a global customer base and range of cultures, companies need diversified insights to survive. When you interview, don’t sell yourself short by reducing who you are. Breaking the mold can equate to millions for a company’s future prospects.”
“My main advice would be to ‘stay true to yourself,’ the world is evolving and while you need to keep up from an educational and knowledge perspective, don’t be fooled into losing who you are, ‘unless’ it brings you continued growth and success in pursuing your career goals and aspirations."
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“Being black should feel more like a superpower than a weakness in any industry. Being a minority allows you to see things in different ways from most people. When you consider that effect in collaboration, the power of perspective empowers ideas. Ideas create new opportunities, and opportunities define new possibilities. Work hard, believe in yourself, and find a company that is willing to believe in you.”
“The biotech industry is growing rapidly, so I recommend discovering what your passion is first so that you can have a career you love versus a job that stresses you out. It is ok to start at the bottom; once you have your foot in the door, you begin gaining skills from that job onward. For what you want to accomplish long-term, determine if additional skills/degrees could help you move forward in your career.”
“Be yourself! Tech is about innovation, original thought, and standing out from the old guard and antiquated solutions. Nothing is more welcomed in this space than creative solutions for long standing problems. Black and brown voices have been muted in traditional spaces, so tech is where we can bring our authenticity to provide a much needed different perspective.”
“Find ways to connect. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, socially/culturally connecting with the white majority will be a valuable skill in this industry. Blacks make up 4.7% of America’s software engineers. This means you may be the first black software engineer your teammates have ever met. Learn how to be true to who you are while finding opportunities to connect. Connecting does not have to mean “code-switching”. Connecting may mean reviving your high school interest in the MLB because that’s what those on your team are into.”