The story of Rebecca Sailuzika Mzungu

Here is a story of a young female computer programmer with amazing exploits...

My Name is Rebecca Sailuzika Mzungu but most people call me Becky. I am 23 years old and my Job is coding. Well, I am a programmer. The way English is a language, Chichewa is a language and so is coding for computers.

Initially I wanted to pursue a career in environmental science to study climate and weather. Sadly, this did not work out for me. My mum was so encouraging, she advised me to choose a competitive carrier in the ever-changing global world.

I took a challenge to enroll for Computer Science NASIT, which is popularly known as Data. Unlike most girls who deem such programs as those for men only, my dream was to take the road less taken to prove that girls can also do wonders.

To get to details, the challenge with careers in technical spheres is that they are seen to be just for males, and women who attend are looked down upon. This was really a challenge for me, it was hard to be one or eight women in a class of fifty men. When I just started my classes I knew nothing, it was hard to be in a class where most people seemed wiser more than I did. But I was resilient and worked hard to the point that I follow everything.

Straight to recent development, I am developing a hotel management system to record reservation and prices. I am also making a robot that operates on its own and I have even been put forward for a competition (First Global Challenge) amidst participants from over 160 countries which will happen in Washington, USA.

With all this in mind, my advice to fellow young people out there is that nothing will be simple to achieve. But if you put your heart into it and believe in yourself you will be successful. It is hard to find people believing in you if you don’t believe in yourself. First, commit, believe in yourself and other will follow to support your dreams.

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