http://www.geekwire.com/2015/geeks-give-back-uw-student-rutha-nuguse-says-in-10-years-ill-have-my-own-innovation-center-and-ill-be-hiring/
Geeks Give Back: UW student Rutha Nuguse says ‘In 10 years, I’ll have
my own innovation center — and I’ll be hiring’
by Monica Nickelsburg on November 4, 2015 at 4:48 pm
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship Recipient Rutha Nuguse at the
2015 GeekWire Summit.
For Rutha Nuguse, access to technology has always meant opportunity.
It’s a lesson she’s been living since she first began teaching herself
computer skills at 16. She leveraged those skills to earn an
internship at Microsoft in high school and is now studying computer
science at the University of Washington.
Nuguse is a recipient of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship,
a program that supports STEM education for students in Washington
state. She spoke at the GeekWire Summit as part of our Geeks Give Back
initiative, sponsored by Bank of America. We’re joining forces to help
raise $500,000 in scholarships for WSOS. You can learn more about the
campaign and contribute here.
“The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship has meant that I can
afford to go to one of the best schools in the country. I can take
international internships and pursue networking opportunities,” Nuguse
said at the GeekWire Summit.
Watch her inspiring talk and read the full transcript below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOsavKJ1NV0
Rutha Nuguse: You might not believe this, but I was 16 years old
before there was a computer in my house. My parents immigrated from
Eritrea to start a family and provide a better life for their
children. I was born in Seattle and grew up speaking Tigrinya and it
wasn’t until I started school that I learned English. As you might
imagine, that made school very challenging. Without a computer, there
was no easy access to Word or Google or online assignments. My
brothers and sisters, and I struggled to keep up. Everyday, after
school, my mother took me and my five siblings to the library to do
homework on a public computer. I was lucky and no one had booked the
computer ahead of me. I could use it for an hour at a time. I was
sixteen the day that huge Dell package arrived. It was a breathtaking
experience. Opening up that box, taking out the monitor, the keyboard
and the mouse. Unwinding all the little black twist ties. That day, a
door opened to my future.
I was obsessed with the possibility that the computer represented. I
used it everyday as much as I could. There was no one to teach me so I
would wake up early to teach myself basic computer skills and master
keyboarding. My father speaks ten languages, but he works as an
industrial cleaner to give our family the chance to one day live the
American dream. He wakes up at 5 a.m. and starts work at the Seattle
housing authority at seven. He finishes at three thirty PM with just
enough time to get to his second job at five to midnight. He gets home
to sleep for four hours, then starts again. He works seven days a
week.
My father’s work ethic makes me want to do the impossible. Makes me
believe that anything is possible with hard work. For him, for my
mother, for my brothers and sisters, I choose to embrace all that my
education can offer. To become the leader I know I could be.
A second door opened when I was in twelfth grade. I was selected to
join the Microsoft apprentice program, which was the first full year
high school internship of its kind. Just twenty students were selected
my year to develop the skills, experiences, and networks that are
critical to professional success.
The first day I stepped onto the Microsoft campus, I felt like I had
the key to the kingdom. I treated everyday as if it was the last day
of the program and told myself, “If I don’t network now, there won’t
be another opportunity.” No one is paying attention to that one high
school girl working at Microsoft. You see, I knew this is is my
future. I was going to be a programmer. Everyone I talked to, I shared
my dream and stepped up to every experience offered. If I hadn’t, I
wouldn’t be here talking to you today.
At Microsoft, I received the best gift. Even better than that Dell, I
was assigned a mentor named Lulu and met another students like me.
With their help, I learned to believe in myself. Without their
support, I wouldn’t have been encouraged to consider college or even
know how to apply. Don’t think, don’t ever think, that you can’t
impact a young person’s life. My mentor inspired me to reach for a
high-demand, high-tech career that I would have never considered. The
third door opened to my future when I was awarded a Washington State
Opportunity Scholarship. Because of the opportunity scholarship, I am
the first in my family to attend college.
In ten years, I will have my own innovation center and I’ll be
hiring. I want people to see a woman of color rebuilding computers. I
want to communicate computer engineering to young people.
Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t be pursuing a computer science
degree at the University of Washington. I am sure I wouldn’t be
speaking at the GeekWire Summit. The Washington State Opportunity
Scholarship has meant that I can afford to go to one of the best
schools in the country. I can take international internships and
pursue networking opportunities. I am connected so many financial and
academic and professional supports. Seeing my father work so hard
pushes me, inspires me, and motivates me to never quit, never give up.
My Microsoft mentor showed me the way and the Washington State
Opportunity Scholarship made it possible.
In ten years, I will have my own innovation center and I’ll be hiring.
I want people to see a woman of color rebuilding computers. I want to
communicate computer engineering to young people. I want to be role
model for the next generation. I want them to see themselves, male or
female, of any color, of any income bracket, to really see that they
have a place in a STEM career. I would tell them, “Everyday is an open
door.”
More Special Coverage: GeekWire Summit 2015
Monica Nickelsburg handles a broad mix of behind-the-scenes roles,
including social media, ad coordination, site production, and writing.
Originally from California, she studied journalism and history at NYU
before landing in Seattle. Follow her _at_mnickelsburg
Received on Wed Nov 04 2015 - 21:26:58 EST