{"id":96612,"date":"2026-02-21T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T03:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/894258247"},"modified":"2026-02-21T00:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T03:01:37","slug":"how-black-women-lead-the-way-in-nontraditional-tech-paths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/how-black-women-lead-the-way-in-nontraditional-tech-paths\/","title":{"rendered":"How Black women lead the way in nontraditional tech paths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Promise Owa decided to pivot her career after teaching kindergarten for a few years. She was known as a \u201ccomputer\u201d person among her colleagues back in Abuja, Nigeria, helping everybody with their technical difficulties, so she decided to transition to tech.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why she attempted to learn the foundations of coding herself, first scouring X (formerly Twitter) for useful information and enrolling in a boot camp prior to applying to Northeastern University in pursuit of a master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n

Owa said she struggled with immense self-doubt and imposter syndrome, especially because she didn\u2019t see many individuals who look like her in the classrooms or industry events.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my biggest challenges being in the master\u2019s program is just thinking I\u2019m not good enough, I don\u2019t deserve to be there,\u201d said Owa, who is currently studying computer science in the graduate Align program on Northeastern\u2019s Arlington campus.<\/p>\n

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Two current graduate students, Promise Owa, right, and Tammiyoo Desir, share what it\u2019s been like to pivot from non-technical careers while overcoming barriers and inspiring other women along the way. Courtesy Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Women represent less than a third of the tech workforce in the U.S., according to Accenture<\/a>, and Black women hold just 3% of computing roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to overcome that whole thing, reminding myself that if they are here and I\u2019m here too, in the same room, I didn\u2019t smuggle myself inside. I was literally invited into this room,\u201d Owa said this week during a virtual event titled \u201cBlack Voices in Tech: She Codes the Culture,\u201d organized by the Koury College of Computer Sciences.<\/p>\n

Northeastern\u2019s Align master\u2019s programs<\/a> help creative thinkers coming from non-technical backgrounds launch their careers in tech with concentrations in computer science, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in as little as two and a half years.<\/p>\n

Owa now serves as a Khoury graduate recruitment ambassador, sharing her personal journey at Northeastern with prospective Align students.<\/p>\n

Another Align ambassador, Tammiyoo Desir, a Haitian American student currently working toward her computer science graduate degree on the Boston campus, agreed that representation played an important role in attracting more Black women into tech. Desir said she felt uncomfortable on her first day of classes and worried that asking a question in her intensive foundations of computer science course would make other students think she was ignorant because she lacked a technical background.<\/p>\n

Once she saw that the professor teaching her class was a Black man, she immediately experienced relief, she said. As a recruitment ambassador, she noticed that Black women interested in the Align program seemed more comfortable going to her for advice and honest feedback about being a woman in tech.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate that, because it makes me understand how comfortable it is to speak to another woman of color when it comes to these things, so I\u2019m really glad I can become a safe space for these women,\u201d Desir said.<\/p>\n

Desir also emphasized that the problem of underrepresentation of women in tech is partially because computer science, unlike nursing, for example, is not advertised to young girls or women compared to boys and men. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s hard to get into it, too, because of the way that it\u2019s not being promoted to us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The tech industry needs more women, Owa said, simply because a lot of technology and software is currently being developed from the male perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can\u2019t be made for everybody, if only men are making it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Non-technical background can be especially valuable because it provides a different perspective and a viewpoint \u2014 an advantage that Northeastern professors emphasize to students like her, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause tech is versatile<\/a>. It spans many fields,\u201d Owa said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s really not only for men, it\u2019s for us, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Owa and Desir agreed that there should be more programs supporting women of color in technology, as well as more research opportunities geared toward them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could talk more about creating platforms that cater to women,\u201d Owa said. \u201cWe can gather not just to hang out and have fun, but we also build stuff, make our voices heard and known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desir admitted that pivoting to tech with a bachelor\u2019s degree in English and creative writing made her feel, for a long time, as if she failed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI struggled to understand that changing my path doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that I\u2019m a failure,\u201d she said. \u201cThat means I deserve to be here. I belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

With time, she learned to be proactive about reaching out to people in the industry and attending professional events. <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of inserting yourself into certain spaces. I\u2019m talking about going to conferences, career fairs and even coming to this panel is such a step forward for you,\u201d Desir said. \u201cWhen I think back to days where I was pivoting into tech, one of the main pieces of advice I would give myself is to stop being shy and connect with people because \u2026 the worst that could happen is that they don\u2019t match you on LinkedIn.\u201d<\/p>\n