Taking the Shot
They say, you miss 100% of every shot you don't take. I have had quite a few of those in my life.
So many scholarships and universities I wish I applied to, but I didn't because of my self-doubt. My fear of failure prevented me from ever moving forward with my life. But this year, I took risks. I did things the Old Me would have never done.
On January 1st 2017, I made a promise to myself to face my fears and not let them hold me back.
Honestly, that's all I did this year....and I couldn't be happier because of it.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I started this year off by learning my first programming language. I remember being the only girl in all of my computing classes, and feeling alone & scared. I grew so much as a person this year, and technical skills weren't the only ones I developed. I learned how to stand up for myself this year, and to me that is the biggest accomplishment.
Being a woman in STEM can be a pretty alienating experience. My male classmates often made jokes at my expense and I was expected to put up with it, lest they call me out for getting "upset". This gaslighting went on for the entire semester until I started calling them out on it. In the beginning of the semester, I had another female classmate. However, she quickly dropped out, leaving me as the only girl in class who had to put up with sexist behavior. This required a tremendous amount of effort. Honestly, on some days I didn't even want to go to class.
But I persevered. That's all I did this semester- persevere.
They told me I couldn't organize the first hackathon at our university. I organized two.
They told me I wasn't a good enough programmer. I won a hackathon.
They told me I wasn't smart. I got the highest grades in all my classes.
They told me my organization wouldn't last. We currently have 22 members and are growing!
If 2017 taught me anything, it is that a little bit of perseverance and a whole lot of courage can take you a very long way. So don't be afraid to take that shot. Don't doubt yourself, and don't let them tell you that you can't do it. At the end of the day, the only thing that stands between you and your goals is your self-doubt.
Don't let it win.
So many scholarships and universities I wish I applied to, but I didn't because of my self-doubt. My fear of failure prevented me from ever moving forward with my life. But this year, I took risks. I did things the Old Me would have never done.
On January 1st 2017, I made a promise to myself to face my fears and not let them hold me back.
Honestly, that's all I did this year....and I couldn't be happier because of it.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I started this year off by learning my first programming language. I remember being the only girl in all of my computing classes, and feeling alone & scared. I grew so much as a person this year, and technical skills weren't the only ones I developed. I learned how to stand up for myself this year, and to me that is the biggest accomplishment.
Being a woman in STEM can be a pretty alienating experience. My male classmates often made jokes at my expense and I was expected to put up with it, lest they call me out for getting "upset". This gaslighting went on for the entire semester until I started calling them out on it. In the beginning of the semester, I had another female classmate. However, she quickly dropped out, leaving me as the only girl in class who had to put up with sexist behavior. This required a tremendous amount of effort. Honestly, on some days I didn't even want to go to class.
But I persevered. That's all I did this semester- persevere.
They told me I couldn't organize the first hackathon at our university. I organized two.
They told me I wasn't a good enough programmer. I won a hackathon.
They told me I wasn't smart. I got the highest grades in all my classes.
They told me my organization wouldn't last. We currently have 22 members and are growing!
If 2017 taught me anything, it is that a little bit of perseverance and a whole lot of courage can take you a very long way. So don't be afraid to take that shot. Don't doubt yourself, and don't let them tell you that you can't do it. At the end of the day, the only thing that stands between you and your goals is your self-doubt.
Don't let it win.
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