Growing up, Nelly Nyiha was always fascinated by technology and the digital world. In high school, she followed a tech curriculum called Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) and has never looked back.

At university, Nelly pursued a Bachelor of Science in computer technology, which she says was a male-dominated course. “I was among a small group of young women taking IT classes dominated by young men. This did not deter me from chasing after my dream of becoming a computer technologist,”  she says.

Currently, Nelly is a pre-sales engineer at a software development company based in Nairobi, Kenya. In her career as a young woman in tech, there have been times when her skills and abilities were doubted.

“These challenges encouraged me to counter stereotypes around women in tech by shaming with my skills and talent,” she grins.

Nelly attributes her success in tech to the invaluable role of her brother Kevin. He cheered and supported her with words of encouragement and tutoring. She affirms her brother catapulted her forward in her career.

Nelly firmly feels that women and men need to teach young boys to treat girls as their equals and not their inferiors.