“Like many Filipino-Americans, I was pigeon-holed by family and peers into pursuing medicine without a thought as to whether or not it was right for me. I struggled in my life science courses and pushed through by blaming my own lack of ability rather than a lack of interest. I constantly tried to convince myself that I enjoyed my coursework, despite my declining grades and increasing apathy.
It wasn’t until I worked in a UCLA computer lab that I discovered my interest in technology. Tinkering with computers guided me toward honest introspection, which led me to pursue a complete switch into tech late in my junior year. It took an immense amount of work and dedication to learn everything that I could about IT, while finishing strong in my classes, but it allowed me to land a great job at Zscaler. From there, I was able to leverage my experience within a fast-paced environment to secure an offer from Google as an IT Resident. I’m currently pursuing yet another transition from IT to UX Engineering and these experiences continue to give me confidence that I can make that next step!”
