Work hard and make it happen.
Hey there!
My name is Daria Drew and I work for Verizon as a Tech Expert in their Business and Government Customer Operations department. In my role I work for what is called their Wireless Enterprise Helpdesk where I provide advanced tech support to business and government customers who have advanced products and solutions provided by us. Did I ever think I would make it here? No, but I worked hard and made it happen. And I will continue to grow and encourage the black women of our society to pursue tech and other STEM fields.
I grew up in Clayton County, Georgia, a majority black county right outside of metro Atlanta. We didn’t have the best resources growing up but I had plenty of friends by my side and we always had dreams and goals. STEM stands for science, engineering, technology, and math and I got into STEM pretty early on as a kid, I was always taking things apart and got several circuit building toys as well. When entering middle school I got accepted into a STEM focused Magnet program at a middle school in my county. There I joined the orchestra and also a program called Science Olympiad. Science Olympiad is still around today(your school may even have a team!) and it is a competition where you study for certain science based events(like forestry, rocks and minerals, etc.) and you traveled around the state competing against other schools. I worked hard for 3 years to grow my skills as a musician and as a technology enthusiast. From here I went on to attend the University of Georgia upon graduating high school where I was studying engineering. Although I did not graduate from UGA I do not regret my time there. I learned a lot and made so many friends that I still have to this day. I refocused my passion back into technology and information technology and worked on getting IT roles and experience. I eventually got my associates degree from Athens Technical College in May of 2021 in Engineering Science Technology and worked at Best Buy for a year as an IT technician supporting stores all over the country on special projects and routine maintenance. I landed my current role in August of 2022 at Verizon and am never looking back, I am finally that black woman in tech that I have wanted to see so much!
People will tell you that STEM is hard, and it can be, but if anyone can do it it’s us. The passion and hard work that we all put into our STEM related careers is changing the world and we need more of you to be a part of it! I am writing this memo to you all to encourage you to always pursue your dreams no matter what anyone tells you. I was once one of you all, a young black girl with big tech dreams and no idea how to get there. No one in my family is/was in STEM and I had to change and adapt to situations to get to where I am today. I know I have the talent and the brains I just had to find the people who would listen to me and take me seriously. I encourage each and every one of you to find that thing you love and do it. Research as many ways as possible to get where you want because life is unpredictable, there is no set path and unfortunately things can get in the way. STEM is achievable for all and there are so many careers within that that you will always have somewhere to go. The world needs more black girls to stand up and be assertive in our talents, show everyone around you that you can and you will be the best of your generation. From one black girl to another, we can and we will change the world.
Sincerely,
Your friend, Daria