Tell me a bit about your early years and where you come from.

Sure. I’m from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Technically I’m from southern Illinois, but when I say Illinois, people think Chicago, which is like six hours north of Shiloh, Illinois, where I’m from. I lived there from kindergarten until I graduated from high school.

I was always a shy kid—soft spoken, quiet, very much a bookworm. I was also into video games from an early age thanks to my dad’s influence. I also really liked the internet because it was this new, shiny thing. In Belleville, most people are like-minded—so because the Internet has so many subcultures,  I felt like I could finally find my place. I eventually taught myself how to code, HTML and CSS to start, and how to create graphics. I made random websites based on stuff I was interested in; I think I made my first website in 6th grade. It was on Geocities [laughter]. I kept doing it throughout high school and it morphed into my passion.

After high school, I went to a small school called Maryville University in St. Louis, thinking like, “I’m going to be a web designer for a living, that’s a thing people do I guess?” But my school didn’t actually have much for web design. I told them I wanted to major in web design, but they’re like “uh, we don’t have that, what are you talking about?” They did have very small graphic design program, so I decided to major in that.

“The summer before my sophomore year, my dad got laid off so my parents couldn’t help me with school anymore. I had a decent scholarship based on my strong academics from high school, but my university was so expensive that I couldn’t afford the rest of the tuition. The school wouldn’t let me continue until I paid back what owed from my freshman year, so I left school and got two jobs: first at Build a Bear and the Apple Store, and then Apple and a waitressing job.”

The summer before my sophomore year, my dad got laid off so my parents couldn’t help me with school anymore. I had a decent scholarship based on my strong academics from high school, but my university was so expensive that I couldn’t afford the rest of the tuition. The school wouldn’t let me continue until I paid back what owed from my freshman year, so I left school and got two jobs: first at Build a Bear and the Apple Store, and then Apple and a waitressing job. I was thinking, “well, I’ll work on paying them back and just figure it out as I go.” After about 2 years of working while taking a few community college classes, I finally paid back the freshman year debt. But by then I was so disillusioned with Maryville University and the Midwest in general that I was like, “well, I’m moving to California now.” So I went online and searched for design programs in California.

I found a school in San Francisco and I got interested in their animation program. Suddenly I was like “well now I’m going to be an animator.” So I saved up, transferred Apple stores, and moved to San Francisco to attend the Art Institute of California (AI). Eventually I figured out that animation wasn’t a great fit for me. I love to watch animation, but I didn’t enjoy the process of making it and the school was extremely expensive. But by that point I was already kind of in love with San Francisco. I’d been here about a year, so I was like, well I may not be going to school there anymore, but I have to figure out how I can stay here. So I left AI, then I went on Craigslist and found a second job, working as an office assistant at a startup called Socialcast in SOMA. I  eventually let them know I was into design and that I could code, so they allowed me to take on some small projects for the company while I worked as an office assistant. When my boss went on maternity leave, I quit my job at Apple and went to Socialcast full time, which kind of started me on this tech path.

“Learning how to code was very tedious for me [chuckles]. I had to follow so many tutorials. I also feel like I’m always comparing myself to developers I meet here who are extremely talented. Sometimes I don’t even want to call myself a coder or developer compared to them. I’m a designer who can code. That’s an important distinction to me.”

What was the experience like for you, teaching yourself to design and code?

It partially goes on instinct. I’ve always be attracted to visual endeavors; I’ve been drawing, painting, and things like that since I was in junior high. So I feel like design is very similar to where it really helps if you some natural instinct for things like handling visuals and being empathetic to users, but there are also many things you have to be taught. As for coding, there’s more effort involved for me. I enjoy it, but I sometimes struggle with the logic behind it. Learning how to code was very tedious for me [chuckles]. I had to follow so many tutorials. I also feel like I’m always comparing myself to developers I meet here who are extremely talented. Sometimes I don’t even want to call myself a coder or developer compared to them. I’m a designer who can code. That’s an important distinction to me. Learning how to code was challenging, but learning how to design has been fun because it’s about reading people’s emotions, designing interactions and visuals, and things like that. And I am always learning. I’ve never had a full formal design education. It’s mostly been on the job experience. Since that’s something I’m aware of, I always try to keep reading and learning.

Tell me a little bit more about your work and things that you’re proud of—things that really excite you about your work.

One thing I’m a big advocate for in my work is thinking outside the typical mold that tech people in Silicon valley seem to be designing for. Even in the most subtle ways, so many people are designing for users who are in demographics that are similar to themselves or other people in their “bubble.” By default, they are designing for someone who looks like them. And most designers in San Francisco are white guys, with some white girls mixed in here and there. So I’m often the person chiming in with things like “Wait why do all of the avatars have that kind of hair? Not everyone has that texture. Why are all the hands holding the mobile devices in these photo white” And I know details like that are such a non-issue for some people, but because I notice it I like to challenge other designers on it when I can. Lately I’m reading up on things like how to design for those with disabilities, like design for people with hearing or visual disabilities. So that’s kind of the thing I really get excited about, just thinking about audiences that aren’t as focused on.

“One thing I’m a big advocate for in my work is thinking outside the typical mold that tech people in Silicon valley seem to be designing for. Even in the most subtle ways, so many people are designing for users who are in demographics that are similar to themselves or other people in their “bubble.” By default, they are designing for someone who looks like them.”

What were your first impressions of Silicon Valley?

I didn’t really have a strong impression of it before moving here. I think I saw a movie when I was in junior high, Pirates of Silicon Valley? I really never saw myself having anything to do with it—I didn’t correlate my nerdy hobbies like web design to be related to tech. And then when I got the job at Socialcast, it was still all so new to me. There were only like 10 to 15 people in the office at the time, and I didn’t even know what a startup was. I was coming in thinking like, “Ok, I need something that’s going to pay my bills—that’s all I care about.” But when I got hired they were starting a round of funding, so I was being thrown into this fast paced startup world. And at the same time, I was still working part time at the Apple Store. So it was very different, being an hourly retail employee going into a startup world. I had no idea of what to expect but what I learned very quickly is there’s a lot of really smart people working really hard on something, and everyone’s really passionate. So that was kind of cool because that’s the kind of work ethic that I personally admire. So I was like, “Okay, so much is happening here.” So I didn’t know what I was witnessing when I first moved here, and in retrospect I’m like, “Man, I should have met more people and networked and all that!” But also, I’m terrible at networking, but it was still cool though to be a part of it.

“I would definitely say a sense of isolation. It’s a little due to my own personal insecurities because I haven’t finished school, but on top of that, it’s hard when no one looks like you or can relate to struggles you may have.”

What have been some of the tougher parts about working in tech for you?

I would definitely say a sense of isolation. It’s a little due to my own personal insecurities because I haven’t finished school, but on top of that, it’s hard when no one looks like you or can relate to struggles you may have. It’s been a challenge for me lately, especially now that I’m getting older and really wanting to explore and embrace my ethnicity. I actually did a 23andme genealogy test like two years ago to learn about my heritage and ethnicity because there’s a lot of holes in my family tree and I just had this feeling of wanting to define who I am, ethnically. Lately I’m feeling much more aware of what it means to be a Black woman than I have been ever before. I’m finally confident in proudly declaring that I’m a Black woman, but I work in an industry where I feel like I can’t let that pride be known because I don’t want to make a lot of people uncomfortable. So it’s kind of like a weird double act where outside of work, I feel very “woke” or aware of social justice and civil rights issues affecting Black Americans and other minority groups, but then at work that side of me never comes out because I’m scared that it’s not appropriate. And then I feel so frustrated that I’m even having this internal struggle where I’m so concerned about making other people uncomfortable.

“Lately I’m feeling much more aware of what it means to be a Black woman than I have been ever before. I’m finally confident in proudly declaring that I’m a Black woman, but I work in an industry where I feel like I can’t let that pride be known because I don’t want to make a lot of people uncomfortable. So it’s kind of like a weird double act where outside of work, I feel very “woke” or aware of social justice and civil rights issues affecting Black Americans and other minority groups, but then at work that side of me never comes out because I’m scared that it’s not appropriate. And then I feel so frustrated that I’m even having this internal struggle where I’m so concerned about making other people uncomfortable.”

It doesn’t help that I have had these awkward conversations where people just don’t know or care that I identify as Black so they feel comfortable saying really ridiculous or ignorant things. Like once I was in Lyft and the driver talking about Ferguson because I mentioned I’m from St. Louis. It was right around the protests that happened after Mike Brown was shot and he was totally ragging on protesters, and just being very insulting and condescending to the community as a whole. I remember thinking “Wow, would he say all of that to me if I had visibly darker skin?” Would he be comfortable saying, “These people are rioting like animals”’ or whatever he said. I think the answer is no, he wouldn’t have.

And so that’s the worry I have—although someone may seem like a great person overall, they’ll have some beliefs may be really different than mine when it comes down to it and I don’t want to cause problems at work or networking as a result. I don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable or exclude them from my life due to difference of opinion, but to me there are some ways of thinking that I can’t accept because they actively hurt people. So I end up compromising my beliefs and tolerating things that I know I shouldn’t. In the past, I would just nervously laugh along with jokes and smile when on the inside I don’t agree. Lately, in the last year or so, I’m trying harder to tactfully call people out, but it’s quite hard to do sometimes.

“I don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable or exclude them from my life due to difference of opinion, but to me there are some ways of thinking that I can’t accept because they actively hurt people. So I end up compromising my beliefs and tolerating things that I know I shouldn’t. In the past, I would just nervously laugh along with jokes and smile when on the inside I don’t agree. Lately, in the last year or so, I’m trying harder to tactfully call people out, but it’s quite hard to do sometimes.”

One star for that driver.

Yeah, but, ugh, that’s one thing I’m so embarrassed about to this day! I didn’t even rate him badly. I just was like, “Oh, he was really nice before we talked about Ferguson, and he obviously has no idea what he was talking about.” I still gave him 5 stars. I basically give everyone a 5 star, but after that, it haunted me for weeks. I feel like Tiffany today would not have been so meek, but back then I was still so mousy about issues of race and politics. I just didn’t want to talk about it, because ignoring microaggressions is what has helped me thrive in college and in my career.

And I don’t want to sound like I think I some perfect person who gets it right each time. Honestly, in the past I used to think most race issues didn’t affect me. But because I have a younger brother, I see him in all of these young black and brown men being targeted by police brutality or the justice system. So that helped wake me up, because my family isn’t totally protected from the effects of institutional racism just because we have lighter skin. It could happen to me too. And at the same time, me finally realizing that social justice issues directly affect me or those I care about shouldn’t have been what made me finally pay attention to systematic inequalities. So now I occasionally feel guilty for judging people who are ignorant about civil rights issues because I was still quite naive seven years ago when I first moved here.

“Honestly, in the past I used to think most race issues didn’t affect me. But because I have a younger brother, I see him in all of these young black and brown men being targeted by police brutality or the justice system. So that helped wake me up, because my family isn’t totally protected from the effects of institutional racism just because we have lighter skin. It could happen to me too.”

But I think most people, even the naive, now know that something is going with the race relations in this country. It’s good. I feel like it all of of this racial tension needs to come up to the surface so people can talk about it. While we may never be able to end racism, we can start acknowledging and addressing the systemic issues and begin to move forward. Because I think when Barack Obama got elected, people were like, “Well, racism is over!” I don’t think that’s been quite the case [chuckles]. It’s been a very weird thing to witness on the activism I’m seeing online and offline elsewhere versus what I’m witnessing in my real life.

Yeah, it’s so interesting. Have you found support networks here yet?

I have, and I haven’t. I follow lots of different social justice accounts on Tumblr and Twitter, where people can share their own personal stories or report on different situations happening across the globe. It’s nice to find a connection through other people’s experiences.

The one support group I have found that is local is online, a Bay Area “Women of Color in Tech” group. It’s nice to have a place where other women of color will listen to my concerns and validate my feelings. So I have found a support group in that sense, but I haven’t actually made any friends in the group.

I have friends in the Bay Area that are designers of course—other women designers and other women of color designers—mostly Asian women. And while I’m sure we could discuss the hardships of being a woman in tech, I don’t think I could approach them about issues concerning race or anti-blackness. I don’t know if they will feel comfortable talking about it, and honestly I also don’t know how much they would care. I don’t think I’d find any support in my professional network. So that’s something I do think is missing, that solidarity.

“The Bay Area is more diverse overall than my hometown, but seeing black and brown faces is so rare in tech. One of my friends from grade school had a work trip here recently, we met to catch up and talk about work and life in general. It was so nice just vibing with her. Because I hadn’t done that ever, really— talking about professional issues as a black woman with another black woman. She isn’t a designer—she works in economics. But it was still nice to have that moment.”

The Bay Area is more diverse overall than my hometown, but seeing black and brown faces is so rare in tech. One of my friends from grade school had a work trip here recently, we met to catch up and talk about work and life in general. It was so nice just vibing with her. Because I hadn’t done that ever, really— talking about professional issues as a black woman with another black woman. She isn’t a designer—she works in economics. But it was still nice to have that moment. I wish I could discuss social justice issues more and talk about these things openly, instead of me being complacent and pretending that race isn’t the issue. Unless I’m on Tumblr, and then I feel okay publicly acknowledging that it’s an issue [chuckles].

Yeah. You mentioned in your pre-interview that you hadn’t met another black woman designer in your six years here in tech?

Yeah. I feel like I’ve met maybe one or two in passing, but I’ve definitely never worked with or had a friendship with another black woman designer. Obviously I don’t want to be friends with someone just because we have a similar ethnic background—that’s shallow. But it does make me sad to knowing I have no black designer friends—male or female. That’s weird to me. I know there’s black women designers out there. There has to be. But where are they? If there are no black women designing the apps and sites that so many people use, then that voice isn’t being presented or considered in the design. Are things being designed with black women in mind? Or Latina or Hispanic women? I don’t know. I don’t think so.

Do you feel like you have role models that you can look up to?

I don’t have any black woman designers, but I do have other female designers as role models, for sure. Actually, one of my personal designer role models is one of my really good friends. She’s an amazing designer and an even better person. She’s also a woman of color too. I used to work with her at my last job. Once she left, I realized how wonderful it is to have a friend and mentor at work. Not only does she mentor me in design, but I’ve learned so much from her about workplace politics. I’ve witnessed people discriminate against her. I don’t know how much of it was race related, perhaps some of it was, but working with her I saw what it looks like when men are threatened by strong women. Confident and smart women taking taking leadership positions threatens some men, and I witnessed that happen. And it was unfortunate, but she handled it with such grace, elegance, and perseverance. I’m glad that I have someone that I can turn to not only for career and design advice, but also for help in navigating the realities of being a minority and a woman in the design world. She’s definitely someone I can go to when I feel like I’m lost.

You touched on this and you mentioned in your pre-interview that you’ve had some really unique experiences as a pale black person.

Sometimes I think that non-black people don’t really know what I am, which used to actually really surprise me. I never thought of myself as being racially ambiguous until I got to college. My school wasn’t diverse and I started getting the “what are you?” questions. Right now I have braids, I think maybe that helps. People are like “oh ok, well, she’s something…” but when I first moved here I used to straighten my hair. A common question I get is if I am part Japanese, which is amusing to me because I have 0% East Asian genetics. I just happen to love studying the language.

But from time to time, I’ll hear comments from people or they do things like casually quote a song and use the n-word, I’m just like “whoa, would you have been as comfortable saying that if I had darker skin?” I don’t think they would. Like you wouldn’t have said that if I had the same skin tone as my dad, who matches the visible spectrum of what non-black people perceive as being black. So I think sometimes people feel like more comfortable saying things that are not appropriate around me, but on the flip side I think that it’s kind of up to me to say something. But that’s also much pressure! I’m naturally not a combative or antagonistic person, but even when I’ve spoken up in the past, people are like “Oh, what are you mixed with?” So it’s always really awkward. But I’ve always felt like I have had to prove my blackness. So even today, I find myself being like “Stereotypes are gross but of course I can dance, of course I can cook soul food.”

As an adult, I have wondered how many other black people think about this stuff, but I don’t have a network of people talk about it with in the Bay Area. Growing up, I really never talked about race like this. The St. Louis area is very segregated. It’s like you’re black or you’re white—even non-black people of color seemed to “pick a side,” if you will. And I liked things that black people weren’t supposed to like, like computers, video games, and anime. I took advanced classes in junior high and high school where there were only a handful of black kids, in a school that was like 50% black. And then I had this super light skin, eyes, and hair that somehow made me a target for some black kid bullies, saying I stuff like I wasn’t even an Oreo (an insult saying someone is black on the outside, white on the inside), that I was just an other.

So, by the time I started college, I was perfectly happy being like “fine, they don’t think I’m black, whatever. I’m just my own thing.” Which was so weird, because my dad is Black, and my mom is technically mixed with White but identifies as Black. So at home, I was Black but at school I felt too intimidated to say I was Black. So that’s why I think I’ve had this epiphany in the last few years where I’m like, no I am Black too. The 23andme test was like the final bit of ammo I needed. I’m 68% African. I may be mixed with other things, but that is my proof. It’s what made feel like I can claim my blackness, even though I’m on the lighter side of the spectrum of American Blackness.

“I feel like I’ve met maybe one or two in passing, but I’ve definitely never worked with or had a friendship with another black woman designer. Obviously I don’t want to be friends with someone just because we have a similar ethnic background—that’s shallow. But it does make me sad to knowing I have no black designer friends—male or female. That’s weird to me. I know there’s black women designers out there. There has to be. But where are they? If there are no black women designing the apps and sites that so many people use, then that voice isn’t being presented or considered in the design. Are things being designed with black women in mind? Or Latina or Hispanic women? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

I know my friends and even family aren’t aware of these internal identity struggles I have. So, I know sometimes I’m more sensitive about making people accept that I am a valid form of Blackness. Which sounds really weird because at the same time if you talked to me ten years ago I would be like, “No, I’m not black. Black people don’t accept me and so I don’t accept them.”

And I know I don’t face the same level of discrimination that comes with darker skin. I also know that light skin privilege exists. I feel like I’m in a very interesting place today and definitely this is like—I’ve never even talked about this with anybody like before. I feel so comfortable discussing this with you [chuckles], but now that you asked that question, all of the feelings that I had before about how I never really felt like I could proudly say that I’m a black person. But now, I do feel like that and sometimes I’m almost like beating that fact over people’s heads because I’m finally like comfortable saying that. But, that’s only around friends. When it comes to work, I don’t really like to talk about race because like I said, I’m always worried about the reaction I’ll get.

I’ve talked a lot with people about how like the way that they grew up and how it impacts like how they are in work environments and stuff like that. For some people, it manifests in now wanting to like minimize conflict and that sort of thing. So I’m curious how like you’re upbringing you think affects like how you deal with stuff in the workplace.

I would agree with that for sure. I think people from the Midwest tend to like be really nice up front, because that’s just how you’re supposed to be—neighborly and super accommodating. And so I definitely have that quality, but even in my own home growing up, I was always the very quiet one. But that said, I feel like as I’m getting older, finding my voice, and becoming more comfortable in myself, I definitely am getting better at speaking out when I don’t like something. But I do sometimes catch people off guard when I don’t like something because I usually am so easygoing. I naturally want people to get along and want there to be harmony and balance. But when I do have to confront someone over something I have to psyche myself into it. Like I said about the Lyft driver guy, like I could have passively given him a bad review, but I still felt bad doing that. I was thinking “Oh but he has a hard job too and maybe he had a bad day.”

I have a very similar temperament. I’m just now learning to stand up for myself too—not letting everything slide.

That’s my biggest thing. I’ve always struggled with microaggressions, even before I knew what they were called. They have happened to me my whole life and I have typically just let them slide. I felt like at some point, I’d eventually reach a breaking point over it so that’s why I felt I had to get better at not letting them go. But standing up for myself—even if it’s not confronting someone in the moment—that’s my personal goal is to be able to do that.

I honestly still can’t.

It’s hard. One of my current goals is to, especially with someone I care about, is to call them out on it if they say something that isn’t cool. For all scenarios, even when it’s not something that directly relates to me. Especially in work situations, where I’m like, “I’m cool with you and we’re friends, but you can’t say that kind of stuff about women or make jokes about someone’s body or sexuality or anything like that.” Being in the Bay Area, sometimes I feel like I’m working with a lot of immature man children. Like a designer I worked with compared an Asian interview subject, specifically her voice and laugh, to a yellowface character from a sketch tv show. This was during an interview round table session, in front of other senior people and the recruiter. No one said anything. Like, he was a senior team member and he was openly making jokes like that. I wish I had said something, you know? When I think back to stuff like that I always feel a kind of pang of regret, like “I should have said something.”

Based on all of your experiences, what would you look for in a future job?

That’s something I’m thinking about a lot now. I have separate buckets of criteria for what I’m looking for in future roles. Like is it a job where the product is  making a difference in people’s lives, helping somehow? Is it a job where I am being fulfilled personally? Is the team diverse? So far, the jobs I’ve had have been really good for personal growth and career growth, but they haven’t matched the other criteria as much. And for the second criteria bucket, for a future job I definitely would love to do something related to like my hobbies or interests. Like I have been studying Japanese for almost a decade now. So I would love to do something with Japanese in my career so it feels like it’s not just a hobby and something that I’m actually using everyday.

How do you feel about the state of tech in 2016? What really excites you? What frustrates you?

I think what’s really exciting is that the things we work on in tech are so normal for everyone, even those outside of the tech world now. Actually, I just got back from Bahrain last week. My friend is from there and I went for her wedding. In Bahrain, Instagram was everywhere. And it was so crazy think that this product that was originally created by a small team in the same city where I live is touching so many people’s lives across the world. Like storefronts had their Instagram names on the sign below the store’s name, like that’s how big it is there.

But what scares or frustrates me is like stuff like bullying, or how tech can give hatred such a prominent platform.

“Diversity and inclusion just isn’t a concern for most people in tech. For example, if you’re happy and comfortable with your design team being homogenous, then you’re probably not going to feel challenged to make it diverse unless somebody points out, ‘Hey, this is a problem.'”

Also, it seems that now people are getting so hung up on online relationships that they don’t know how to have offline relationships anymore. I just watched Master of None and all those things he’s talking about are things that I am witnessing friends go through. Like people don’t know how to have relationships. They’re so worried because there’s like 5,000 people they can date via an app. They don’t want to settle and things like that. So that kind of scares me… And I’m a technology optimist.

A lot of people are scared of the Big Brotherness Google a lot, but I’m the person who’s like, “Google, take my data. You help me get to meetings on time; you help me not get lost. You can have all my data.” But I’m always a little worried that the era of optimism and innocence with the Internet is gone. People are more nefarious and don’t have the best intentions with your data out there. So that’s another thing I think is really big for tech right now is security. Now that the internet is more mature, we’re starting to really see more standards now. From a product development standpoint, maybe you can’t move fast and break things—to quote Facebook—but now users are more aware about their data. So you have to spend more time making sure your product is safe and compliant. So I think it’s nice that we are self-regulating things, but I don’t want tech to get too regulated. The Internet has always been a special place with unlimited creativity. Overall, tech is very exciting right now. So that’s kind of the cool part, witnessing it all.

How do you think tech can be more accommodating to diverse perspectives in design?

That’s something that I think about a lot. I really think it goes down to getting people involved early. I’ve met people here who have a lot of privilege, but they don’t realize it. And it’s very much a buddy system in tech where one person gets into a company, and then they only refer their friends and others in the social bubble. And because they don’t have a diverse friend group, the company’s demographics become very uniformed. Many people seem threatened by the idea of forcing diversity, but I think it is good to have someone at an executive level who is tasked with increasing diversity and making workplaces inclusive to all kinds of people.

Diversity and inclusion just isn’t a concern for most people in tech. For example, if you’re happy and comfortable with your design team being homogenous, then you’re probably not going to feel challenged to make it diverse unless somebody points out, “Hey, this is a problem.” I do feel lucky that at my current job we do have some diversity in the sense that there we have people of color on the team, and it’s mostly women. But we’re just a small company, and no one’s looking to us as a design leader in the industry compared to places like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google. And from what I’ve seen, those teams aren’t diverse.

“Black Twitter, a lot of the young people on there, they’re hilarious and amazing and I love it, but how many of the young kids participating are going to think, “I want to get a job doing something related to this?” I don’t think many are because it’s not being presented as something that they can be apart of. These platforms need to reach out early because that’s their audience right there.”

InVision just had a documentary they did I think last year or a couple of months ago, and it was like the top designers disrupters in the industry. Not one person of color was in there, I think. Maybe there one woman on the list. Stuff like that. People aren’t doing it on purpose. I think most of the people in these companies just don’t have very diverse professional and personal groups, so they likely couldn’t seek out diverse voices even if they wanted to. But if no one’s calling it out, it’s not going to change.

We also need to go into primary and high schools and get kids involved earlier. And not just coding—I think that introducing design as career options for underrepresented groups is important too. Because the kids—Twitter, for example. Black Twitter, a lot of the young people on there, they’re hilarious and amazing and I love it, but how many of the young kids participating are going to think, “I want to get a job doing something related to this?” I don’t think many are because it’s not being presented as something that they can be apart of. These platforms need to reach out early because that’s their audience right there. If you have a diverse user base, but the people creating the product aren’t, then you’re going to have some problems eventually. Tumblr had a problem, actually, awhile ago where they censored some popular tag, flagging it as not safe for work or something? I don’t remember, but it impacted a huge chunk of Tumblr’s user base. A lot of marginalized groups that feel like they can find their place or community on Tumblr, but suddenly they’re being treated different by the app developers. So now they don’t trust the app, and it’s perceived value for the user goes down. If only there had been one person, one voice on the team that could have been like, “Hey, this isn’t such a good idea.” That could have been avoided.

That’s why you need diverse teams. My hope is that as the internet generation grows up, we start seeing more diversity. I hope that tech becomes less of a “bro club.”

“I would love to stay in San Francisco for the next five years but realistically, I can’t. And I know I am speaking of a place of total privilege, as a tech worker in San Francisco. I can’t imagine how hard it was if I was still working retail or if I was working as an artist. I worry that life in San Francisco is not sustainable, so I really don’t know where I’ll be in five years.”

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

Oh gosh. Well as much as I love San Francisco, it’s really different now compared to when I moved here. I moved from Lower Haight to live in the Outer Sunset by the by the beach in 2014. I love living by the beach, but we truly only moved there because it was the cheapest place to find a bigger apartment at the time. But now getting downtown for work is such a hassle. I would love the ability to live closer to downtown, but I am not comfortable with how high rents are here. I would love to stay in San Francisco for the next five years but realistically, I can’t. And I know I am speaking of a place of total privilege, as a tech worker in San Francisco. I can’t imagine how hard it was if I was still working retail or if I was working as an artist. I worry that life in San Francisco is not sustainable, so I really don’t know where I’ll be in five years. I hope I’m still working as a designer, but likely it’ll be in a different area. I’ve heard that L.A. has a “Silicon Beach,” and I know there is a “Silicon Prairie” somewhere in the Midwest, although I see myself on a coast. I just hope that wherever I am in five years, I am making user experiences that are helpful to someone.

“You really have to be very self-driven because there are times where it seems that no one’s going to help you. You really do have to be self-driven, which I know can be hard, especially when you’re young. But when you’re competing with very privileged people for highly desired jobs, you can’t afford to wait around—you have to create opportunities by showing others your talents and interests.”

My last question for you would be, what advice would you have to people from similar backgrounds who are hoping to get into tech?

You really have to be very self-driven because there are times where it seems that no one’s going to help you. You really do have to be self-driven, which I know can be hard, especially when you’re young. But when you’re competing with very privileged people for highly desired jobs, you can’t afford to wait around—you have to create opportunities by showing others your talents and interests. When I got that job at my first startup, if I had waited for someone to ask me, “Well what do you want want to do besides admin work?” I don’t think that day would have come. Instead, I was like, “I know how to code. You guys need someone to make these internal pages. Do you want me to do?”

Another piece of advice is, as a person of color, people may look down on you sometimes or have lowered expectations. It hurts, but you have to say, “You know what, I don’t care about you. I’m going to give it 110% and prove you wrong.”

And finally, if you’re feeling alone, go online for support! Learn very early how to efficiently use Google. Search engines are your best friend. You can learn the basics by getting on free sites like Codecademy for code or UXPin for design. There are also tons of design and code communities out there, from Twitter to StackExchange to Quora to Reddit. It can be lonely and frustrating to work in tech, and it can be a lot of hard work, but overall it’s such an interesting and exciting place to be.

“It can be lonely and frustrating to work in tech, and it can be a lot of hard work, but overall it’s such an interesting and exciting place to be.”