Aqueelah Emanuel

I attribute my success to learning when to listen and when to follow instructions. It may not sound glamorous, but listening is one of the most powerful skills you can develop. It’s how you understand context, expectations, and when it’s time to ask better questions.

Listening and following direction are often underrated. There are moments in your career when thinking outside the box is necessary, but there are also moments when you need to fully understand the box before stepping outside of it. I’ve grown into being a very strong listener, not assuming I know everything, and taking the time to understand a role, a framework, or an environment before trying to change it.

“Keep upskilling yourself no matter how far you’ve come.”

When I graduated with an Associate’s degree in Applied Computer Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Science, it still took me four years to land my first job in tech. During that time, I tried everything and nearly lost hope. I received some truly harmful advice along the way. I was told to lie on my résumé by listing companies I had never worked for and inflating my years of experience. At one point, I was even told to change my name.

By the time I met someone who spoke to me about upskilling, I was exhausted and discouraged. That conversation changed everything. I enrolled in an Oracle9i DBA certification course that fall and winter, earned my certification, and started applying again. In January 2006, I landed my first job in tech.

That experience shaped how I move to this day. Whether life is going well or uncertain, whether things feel clear or not, I return to learning. You will always see me upskilling, not as a trend, but as a commitment to my integrity, my growth, and my future.

Some of my most meaningful growth didn’t come from staying inside a narrow technical lane. It came from building skills alongside it.

Technology changes fast. Tools change. Titles change. What lasts are the abilities you develop with them, such as communication, ethics, leadership, critical thinking, and understanding people. The women who thrive in tech are rarely the ones who only know the tools. They are the ones who can translate between teams, connect ideas across disciplines, and lead with clarity.

Don’t limit yourself to just learning the technology. Learn how to explain it, question it, and apply it responsibly. That’s where long-term influence lives.

One of the biggest challenges in technology today is that safe design and human-centered technology are still treated as afterthoughts instead of foundations. Bias, usability, trust, and real-world impact are often addressed only after systems are already in motion, when course correction is harder, and harm is easier to overlook.

I have always had a strong affinity for secure design and the responsibility that comes with building systems people must live with. More recently, participating in an innovation lab cohort deepened my understanding of what it truly means to design with humans at the center, not just in theory, but in practice. While contributing to early-stage research and ideation for an AI-powered career readiness concept, I focused on UX research and trust considerations, helping ensure user needs were understood before implementation.

That experience reinforced a belief I already held. When human-centered thinking is introduced early, it fundamentally changes what gets built. Bias does not emerge in isolation. It appears when lived experiences, diverse perspectives, and ethical considerations are excluded from the design process. The future of technology depends on centering people early and designing with intention, accountability, and awareness from the start, not retrofitting responsibility later.

Being happy in my work and personal life matters deeply to me, not because everything is easy or perfect, but because I am intentional about how I build my life. I have learned that relying on a single role or title for security is not enough. I want to create work that is sustainable, meaningful, and adaptable, so that I always have ways to grow, contribute, and provide.

That mindset did not come from nowhere. It was shaped by my parents, through their consistency, their values, and their unwavering support. I carry a deep gratitude for them, especially for the ways they showed up for me even when I did not always understand or listen. There are moments I look back on now with clarity and humility, moments where I wish I had listened more closely. I understand now. And I am thankful that I still have the opportunity to say that, to thank them, and to have them cheering me on in these new chapters of my life.

Their love and belief in me have carried me far beyond my career. When circumstances changed, I did not see it as an ending. I saw it as confirmation that building something of my own mattered. Not as a backup plan, but as a way to protect my peace, my purpose, and my family. That decision reflects what they taught me: to be thoughtful, resilient, and grounded in values rather than fear.

I honor my parents not only through my work, but through how I parent my daughter. I strive to be the kind of presence they were for me. Supportive. Encouraging. Steady. I want my daughter to see that unhappiness and instability are not things you simply endure. I want her to know that it is possible to choose work that aligns with your values, to create multiple paths forward, and to pursue joy with intention. How we live teaches far more than what we say, and in that way, their legacy continues through me.