MEET OUR WITTY WOMEN - ALUMNI EDITION : AISHA

In 2019-2020, we worked with a cohort of 7 female-identifying students. Our witty alumni are back to tell us about their life after the <wit> project. Through our new series, WITTY ALUMS we want to highlight our last cohort of women and get insight into what it was like to be part of a cohort full of other inspiring young women. Where are they now? What advice do they have for future cohorts? Keep reading to find out.

Our First witty alumni is Aisha M., a Junior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she’s majoring in Computer Science and Information security and minoring in Cybercrime. 

How has the WIT project shaped your education thus far?

The WIT Project has helped me see the importance of taking my knowledge and applying it.  My school does not really give us projects in our classes to work. Through the WIT Project, I was able to take what I learned technically and apply it to an application which has given me a better understanding of how Django truly works.  I’ve also realized that there’s a lot to learn outside of classroom settings.  Just because I am learning something specifically in school does not mean I can’t go ahead and pick up a new skill from CodeAcademy or different resources.  

How has the WIT project compared to work you’ve done in school?

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!

What kind of skills did you learn while being at The WIT Project?

I learned many technical and non-technical skills.  I learned about Django, something I never heard about, and I got to make an app based on it. I also got to brush up on my skills in HTML, CSS, and JS.  Along with those, I learned how to use online resources to best fit our application.  For example, I was able to use an online GitHub library that had the survey built out, and minor tweaks.  I also got to explore my project management side where I would create and move stories around on Github.  On the non-technical side, I learned that it is ok to not know something.  I used to always fear that I would look inferior if I did not know something— I also gained confidence in my skills, and that I do have something to contribute.

How has your experience at the WIT project impacted how you work now?

My experience at the WIT Project has impacted how I work now by giving me more confidence in what I do.  I am not afraid to take up challenges and facing them head-on.  I also learned how to manage my time and set time for tasks, as well as completing tasks according to what is more important for that day or week.  

What was the most valuable take away from your experience?

My most valuable takeaway is getting to work with other women and networking with them!  It’s always great to see other women in STEM. We were always willing to help one another, even when the task was delegated to two or three students.  All the girls were willing to drop what they were working on and help one another as needed.

What are your plans for the future?

For the summer, I will be returning to Verizon for an internship in corporate security!  Eventually, I hope to get into a management position.  I also want to explore project management as it has always been an interest of mine.

What advice do you have for future cohorts?

Don’t be afraid to not know something because you can always learn it!  Also, don’t be scared to ask questions because it’s a safe space and no question is ever a bad question.