Cecilia

My Background

I graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2014 with a BA in Linguistics. Since then, I have built a career in web content management and marketing: after graduating, I spent three years as a content editor at an e-learning startup before spending one year as a proofreader at Gilead Sciences. In 2018, I accepted a contract position at Meta Research and got converted to full-time in January 2020. I recently shifted my focus from managing a blog and a website to full website management.

I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but have lived in Salinas, California, and the Central Coast/South SF Bay area for most of my life. Working and living in the heart of Silicon Valley, I’ve become intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the tech industry and learned all about the amazing innovations being built. This inspired me to be a part of shaping the future of tech and apply for the Align program.

Bridge

Before the Align program, I had no coding abilities and had hardly taken any math in college, but thanks to the professors, tutors, TAs, and my fellow classmates at Northeastern, I have managed to stay on top of my course load while working full-time. Everyone wants to see you succeed, and although it’s challenging, it’s definitely doable.

My Future

I believe tech is for everyone and I’m passionate about inspiring people like me to think big, whether it’s applying for the Align program specifically or taking on new challenges in general. After I graduate from Northeastern, I plan to either join a PhD program or pursue an industry role in AI and NLP or web development, to build upon my existing experience.