Women in Tech: Akilah Alumnae Series Part 1
Meet Archange Umugabe, Salesforce Administrator at Davis College (Class of 2019)
Global demand has increased dramatically for key roles in information technology. Yet only 24% of all STEM positions are held by women — and only 9% of those women hold leadership positions.
At Davis College and Akilah, we’re on a mission to change these statistics. We believe in the boundless potential of our female students because we’ve been witness to their success.
In this special Women in Tech interview series, we’re celebrating the achievements of Akilah Alumnae who have graduated from our two-year Information Systems diploma program. These fearless females are challenging the status quo and contributing to the growing IT economy as leaders and changemakers.
Describe your current role and the aspects you enjoy most
Right before my graduation in 2019, I was fortunate enough to do my internship at Davis College in the Business Operations department. I was a Salesforce intern and I really loved what I was doing. I devoted my energy and time to learning how to apply the skills I got from my Information Systems classes. I was always striving to achieve the best results and ended up getting a job as a Salesforce Administrator.
I stepped into the job confidently and I was ready to bring data solutions that the organization needed. I enjoyed business intelligence and data analysis while I was a student, which is applicable to what I am currently doing. I had no Salesforce training, but I had all the necessary skills to help me adapt to any type of task that I am faced with. Now, I help all the departments to establish processes to manage their data better. I love what I do and I take everyday as a learning opportunity, which has contributed a lot to my continuous professional development.
What are the main challenges you face in your role and how do you overcome these?
As a young professional, I face challenges like having so many tasks to do in a very short period of time. Also, the fact that there is no formula to what I do means that I sometimes need to research various options to make sure that I am providing the best solution. Although this can be challenging and time consuming, I also see it as an opportunity to develop my ability to prioritize and learn new skills.
When I am working across multiple departments, I also need to work efficiently so that I can meet all deadlines. It can be difficult to keep up with the speed of the organization, but effective communication with my colleagues helps to ensure that everyone is aware of how I am progressing with their request.
I believe that any challenge is also a lesson, so I don’t complain when I find myself searching for solutions to an issue or juggling multiple requests. I have learnt to focus on how I can perform one task after the other in a timely manner, and take this as a precious time to grow in my career and as a person. In other words, I draw the owl everyday!
Why do you think it’s important for females to participate in the IT industry?
The future is women and technology. In the past, we were told that technology is very hard and that women can’t perform well in it, until some women stepped out of their comfort zone and tried it. There’s nothing that our brothers have in their brains that give them the ability to perform well in technology that we don’t have. It’s a matter of learning, practicing, and loving what you do.
I think it’s important for women to participate in the IS industry so that they can contribute to using technology to solve our community’s problems today and tomorrow. Things are moving fast and women are being given well-deserved opportunities to have a seat at the table, and in a few years those who are tech gurus will have many opportunities. This is why we should have more women in technology, so that they can be at every decision making table in the future.
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Questions? Our Admissions Team would love to hear from you! Contact us on WhatsApp at +250 788 380510 or email admissions@daviscollege.com