Her Story
About Abigail
I'm entering my senior year at Virginia Commonwealth University, where I study Information Systems after switching from marketing my sophomore year. I made that change because I realized marketing was oversaturated and technology, especially AI, is what's going to impact our future. I wanted to develop hardcore skills that would make me more of an asset, and even though I had no interest in coding initially, I've learned to understand code, cloud computing with AWS systems, and so many other things. I've been in the technology space for almost 2 years now, and I'm passionate about creating products for everyday people, especially making technology accessible to people from marginalized communities based on my background as a first-generation immigrant and college student. My goals for the next five years include graduating with a full-time offer at a top company like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, or a top consulting firm, doing product management, technology consulting, or Associate Product Marketing Management. I also want to travel more and do more speaking engagements, host workshops, or be a keynote speaker. I love public speaking and this year I'm diving back into that passion with different conferences. I was recently invited to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Phoenix, where I met experts in different industries whose advice and encouragement still sticks with me today. I'm West African from Ghana, and I love everything about the culture, the melanin, the entrepreneurship, the history. I'm also a big foodie who loves jollof rice, and I recently came back from a two-week solo trip to Europe. I serve with the National Society of Black Engineers, where every Sunday we teach STEM and business fundamentals to about 75 K-12 students who are predominantly Black, helping them navigate an industry that wasn't necessarily made for us in mind. I also volunteer with Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which is literally the foundation of why I'm the person I am today, and I'll be speaking at their National Keystone Conference in Orlando. Growing up in Section 8 housing, I felt like people in higher positions didn't give us an opportunity to explain what we wanted in our community, so now I do research for different communities in the DC metropolitan area and Richmond to understand how I can best serve them with the needs that they want.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Abigail
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to God first and foremost. God really keeps me grounded, and in moments when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I tend to pray, which helps me a lot. Going to church clears my mind every week. Beyond my faith, I have a good calendar and stay organized, which gives me a visual map of how my day's going to look and what tasks I need to get done. But most importantly, I have a good village of support, my friends and family. The people around you really shape the trajectory of your life and how far you can go. With how I'm traveling, speaking, and doing all these things as a college student, they understand the type of life that I want to live, but they're there to help me stay present too. As an ambitious woman, it's very important to always stay present because I really don't want to get to a point where I'm so focused on what's next that I forget what's now. My village is very honest with me, and in those moments of being present, I really enjoy it. I also believe that opportunities and great things that come into your life, even bad things, are always for a reason, and when you don't have that faith, that's when life starts to become tricky.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think, for one, being okay with being uncomfortable. I always had to tell myself that, because as a woman, as a Black woman going into technology that is male-dominated and there's not that many people of color, there's going to be moments where people are constantly testing you, and there's going to be moments where you're also questioning yourself. But once you're okay with being uncomfortable, that's when you know that you're growing. When you're very steady and comfortable, that's where your learning starts to deteriorate in a sense where you're not challenging yourself. Another thing I would say is expand your network. Within the Black community especially, I feel like we tend to gravitate towards other Black people because we've been the minorities for our whole entire lives. But when you have a network that's only the people that you're comfortable with, you kind of find yourself in the way and you're losing potential blessings. I don't want to be the reason why I'm blocking my blessings, so just be open to expanding your network, whatever demographic or gender the person may be, because you never know what that person can see. People that are not in your specific friend group or people that you're comfortable with may see different potential that people you know may not see. Step out of your industry too, because you may need them in the future for some type of collaboration or just intentional friendships.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Virginia
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.