Humans of HackBeanpot: Raquel Levy

“I think this is something that a lot of people experience, but I’ve often struggled with feelings of imposter syndrome and questioning myself: ‘Do I actually belong in tech; am I actually smart enough to be part of this field?’. There have been people in my classes who have said things to me like ‘Oh, you probably got into Northeastern because they’re trying to increase their diversity numbers’ or ‘I have plenty of white guy friends who have way more CS experience but get rejected from jobs because of affirmative action…it’s racist against white people’ or ‘Diversity initiatives in college shouldn’t exist, everyone has the same opportunities’. Trying to navigate my own identity and getting these messages from peers or even in some cases professors, TA’s, and other people who are supposed to be a part of my support system makes it really tough to not doubt myself at times. But being able to take a step back and say “No. I’m actually able to do this, and I got here because I worked really hard” is important. Having a good support system of people can really help with this. Oftentimes people with an outside perspective can point out your past successes and things you worked hard to accomplish to help show you that your imposter syndrome is not rational and that you actually deserve to be where you’re at. Also, between the Girls Who Code program I did in high school and now HackBeanpot, I’ve been able to find really inclusive and welcoming spaces where I can be my full self. It’s really helpful to feel part of a community of people who have had similar experiences to me who I can talk about specific struggles with. At HackBeanpot we’ll often all stick around after meetings and rant about different things that are happening in classes or at work and finding that kind of an outlet is really helpful. It’s scary to think that, going into the workforce, I might not find that sense of community or be able to bring my full self to work, depending on where I work or who I work with. Even at some of my co-ops so far, it’s been hard being someone who is traditionally underrepresented in tech, and I often worry about whether I’ll have a place to raise concerns or have certain support systems at work. I’m concerned that the tech industry will not progress as quickly as it needs to in terms of actively bringing in diverse perspectives and being an inclusive industry for people of different races, socio-economic statuses, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identities etc., but I’m hopeful and driven to make a change and it’s inspiring to see all of the activists and students who are banding together to work towards change!”