May 27, 2018

Rabiah Damji, Product Marketing

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I come from African and Indian roots with my family born in Tanzania and generations before originating from India. I love to write, I have journals dating back to when I was 8 years old. I always felt a sense of ease when I got my thoughts organized in writing. I graduated from UC Berkeley last May with a B.A. in Media Studies. I started working at Twitter after graduation, and also interned there during my junior year. I currently work on their Product Marketing team bringing consumer-facing products and features to more people!

How and why did you get involved in tech

My dad and brother both work in tech, and I’ve looked up to them my whole life. Growing up in the bay you’re surrounded by tech, you’re literally in the middle of Silicon Valley. It was the norm for me. I was always intrigued by the way I began to adopt new behaviors when it came to how I interacted with technology. I wanted to be part of how users adopted new features and products. I wanted to bridge the gap between people and products, so I found myself applying for Product Marketing internships in university.

What is your experience being a POC in Tech?

Being a POC especially a WOC in tech can be a rewarding and extremely frustrating experience. Frustrating in that you often feel like you’re alone in many situations because you may be the only person of color in the room or the only woman in the room. Rewarding in that when you see another POC you have a sense of community and a support system. At least in my experience, I know I can lean on other POC and women in tech to share my experiences with and learn from so I can be better, I can teach others how to be better, and I can make the environment better for more people and women of color to not just crack the glass ceiling but shatter it.


What advice would you give to a young person who wanted to enter tech?

  • You belong here. Don’t let the color of your skin or how you identify make you feel like you don’t. Don’t let others deter you from your dreams.
  • FIND MENTORS– those who look like you and those who don’t. Learn from them, be hungry, always be humble, and remember you belong here just as much as anyone else!

Where can we find you?

Michael Berhane

Co-founder and CEO of peopleofcolorintech.com & pocitjobs.com. Also the co-host of the #Techish podcast! Full Stack JavaScript developer by trade.

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