In a world moved and shaped by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, it has become necessary to train and educate people to better equip them to contribute to society. More and more women are gradually taking their place in this movement and one of such is Maya Alexus.
Maya Alexus is a product of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. She is a software engineer, having recently graduated. She is the first Black woman with a cloud technology YouTube channel, and the first software engineer in her family.
In an Instagram post sharing her journey, Maya intimates that “pursuing a degree in computer science as a Black woman has been a difficult journey”, she says. “During my first two years, I didn’t understand programming basics, I was horrible at math and I always felt like I didn’t belong in CS. I was even advised by a professor to drop out of the major.”
“Fast forward to now, I’ve interned with some of the biggest companies in the world, became the first Black woman with a cloud technology YouTube channel, and became the first software engineer in my family.”
Maya in a bid to leave a legacy behind at University of North Carolina, Charlotte is partnering and conducting research with the computing and informatics department to create a guide for freshman women of color to make sure that they have the tools to achieve greatness in computing.
“When you don’t see change or representation, do something about it. I thank God every day for the strength to persist and for blessing me with so many opportunities to be an example”, she says.
