Hi, I'm Jessica!

👩‍🎓 Starting as a cognitive science psychology major to computational biology, I grappled with whether I was “good enough” to make it in software engineering. I had never built a desktop computer before nor did I code before taking an intro class at UCLA. Most other computer science students didn’t look like me and exuded a confidence that intimidated me. Eventually, after finding my women in tech and allies support group, I graduated with a CS degree. I didn’t get as many interviews or full time job offers as I wanted and debated if I needed to study more. I thought getting a Master’s degree in CS at Stanford would be a sign of my worthiness. However, when I started my full-time career in Search Ranking at Airbnb, I still didn’t feel confident. During my first performance review, I received feedback that I need to speak up more and participate in technical discussions. I worried about asking a “dumb” question or revealing an incompetency. 

💪 Many underrepresented folks in tech, myself included, have found themselves struggling with their careers, struggling with speaking up, struggling with wondering “Do I belong here?”. Fortunately, I benefited by having multiple strong coaches and mentors. I continued strengthening my technical opinion as I spent multiple years as a full-stack product engineer tech lead. After feeling intense fear when thinking about infrastructure, I decided that meant it would be a great learning opportunity for me. As a platform infra engineer, I designed core services as we migrated from our monolith into service-oriented architecture. As a TLM and EM, I managed multiple teams from 5 to 17 including staff, senior staff, and principal engineers. 

🎆 Along the way, I challenged myself with a New Year’s Resolution to speak at a conference. Since elementary school, I’ve been given feedback that I was too shy and should talk more. My heart would race and my palms would sweat if I thought there was a chance I might be called on. Standing in front of an audience delivering a technical talk felt like climbing Mount Everest. I didn’t sleep at all the night before my first talk at the WomenConnect conference where I discussed Airbnb’s migration from monolith into service-oriented architecture.I worked on techniques to manage the anxiety I felt before each conference, honed the skills to deliver my talk smoothly and confidently, and cultivated relationships with conference organizers – and soon, I was flying around the world to give architecture talks to hundreds of technologists, despite being stressed and anxious before each conference.However, now I get a full night’s sleep and step on stage with a smile and excitement.

🎊 From my journey, I’ve realized that having experienced and empathetic mentors and coaches in my corner have helped me define and conquer any goal I set. I’m looking forward to being that coach for you.Everyone, including you, has the ability to overcome barriers and share their voice with the world. Working with me is a shortcut to becoming the most empowered, authentic, and confident version of yourself. You deserve it!