MEET OUR WITTY WOMEN: AISHA

This past academic year, we worked with a cohort of 7 female-identifying students to develop a technical solution for the non-profit organization YearUp! We are so proud of our first cohort and all the work they accomplished, and for the next few weeks we’ll be featuring these amazing students here on our blog.

This week we are featuring 19-year-old Aisha Manasia. Aisha is a rising junior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice currently studying Computer Science and Information Security. She’s our first witty woman to be featured, and we are so excited for you to learn a little bit about her through this post.

Why did you join the wit project? 

I joined the WIT Project because I wanted to make some type of contribution using my knowledge and felt that this was my first step towards it. I wanted to help out the community with my knowledge and skills, and the WIT Project was the perfect way for me to do so. I was able to use my technical skills and help out a non-profit organization! I also wanted to join the WIT Project to network and meet women just like me who were enthusiastic to be in the tech world.

What has been your favorite part about the volunteership experience? What have you learned from the wit project? 

My favorite part of the volunteership experience was being able to collaborate with other women to develop a webapp. I was able to work with almost each and every single one of my peers and it was great to get to know them! It was a great support system and it felt like I was collaborating with people who understood the challenges of being a woman in the tech world. From the WIT Project, I not only learned a lot of technical skills, but I learned a lot of soft skills such as time management, communication, empathy, and many more!

Why is it important to have more women working in tech? 

It is important to have more women working in the tech field because it is important to break the stereotype that women are not meant to be in the STEM field. A lot of people believe that women are not meant to be in the STEM field because we do not have the skills, but that is not true. It is important to have a diverse tech world composed of different opinions and skillsets.

What are your goals for the next year? Where do you want to be in 5 years? 

My goals for the next year is to be able to try out different tech roles, network with more people, and learn new skills so I can figure out what I enjoy in the tech field and what I want to pursue once I graduate. In the next 5 years, I would love to work for a diverse tech company with a great support system and making a major contribution towards my community. I also would like to get a certification in SAFe Agile and maybe become a Scrum Master!

Who’s a #badass technologist you look up to?

Grace Hopper is a #badass technologist I look up to because she has made major contributions towards the STEM field and always tried something new.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself! 

I am the second woman in my family of 100+ women to pursue studies past high school!