Outreachy- How it all began!

Hi, I'm Rachael Odetayo from Nigeria. I came from a non-tech background and as anyone can imagine, I was satisfied doing what girls my age were doing after high school - making beads, sewing and baking. For some reason, my father decided to push me outside my comfort zone by enrolling me in computer training. Reluctantly though, I attended the classes so his money wouldn’t go to waste and I kept counting down the day until the training would end. Suddenly, an incident occurred that made me take the training seriously.

I fell victim to internet fraud and I was determined to track down the perpetrators. Yeah, funny I know. How would I go about that? I mean, what do I know, my computer training wasn’t about anything close to internet activity tracking or cyber security but I was determined. I consulted people that knew how these things work and that’s where I found programming. This golden quest officially started my journey into tech. And if you want to know, I was never able to track the culprits but I did learn how to protect myself online. That’s a plus I guess.

Before I get carried away writing all about my background and those funny moments I know captivate the reader, I’d like to list some of the values that make me the woman I am today:

Core Values

1. Faith:

   Faith in Jehovah God, I attribute everything I am today to him. I am assured that no matter what life brings my way, Jehovah will always make a way out for me. Also, faith in my abilities. I mean, If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Having faith in my abilities helped me adopt a positive mindset, overcome self-doubt and to have the confidence to get things done. Even when I fail, I always look for the lessons in each failure. When I learn from my mistakes, I’m sure to do better next time. Sometimes, disappointments force you to see other opportunities.

2. Curiosity:

   My inquisitive nature motivates me to deepen my knowledge and get to the bottom of things. In the place I grew up, people often do things in certain ways simply because that’s how others have been doing it, not caring to know why. That’s not me though, I ask questions. Always wanting to know how and why it works the way it does.

3. Perseverance:

   Helps me successfully cope with setbacks. Rather than giving up when things get tough, I get back up and try harder.

What motivated me to apply to Outreachy?

While I was looking for Jobs, I had no experience in the tech field and the companies I applied to wouldn’t employ someone without experience. Then I looked for ways to develop my skills and gain the experience I could list on my resume, even if it was a volunteering role. Someone in a group chat shared the Outreachy application link. An alum explained the process to me and how it will help me and encouraged me to apply. I said to myself, even if I don’t get in, I'll gain experience contributing to open-source software with thousands of users, and learn how to use different tools. That itself was a consolation. I applied to Outreachy and got in the fourth time and finally, here I am, an Outreachy Intern.

This is my first week as an Outreachy Intern with LibreOffice. I’m working on the “LibreOffice installer” project with a fellow intern, Xime, under the supervision of my mentors Jussi Pakkanen and Marina Latini.