Although many more young women are entering jobs in technology-related sectors, achieving gender equality in ICT continues to be a challenge. Sofia, a young girl from Russia, is here to prove that there are no barriers when you dare to follow your dream.

Sofia’s love for technology was love at first sight. Her interest in technology started at kindergarten age when she played a computer game for the first time in her life.

Little Sofia was so fascinated by technology that at the age of nine she began to study Java to build her own Minecraft server. In ninth grade, Sofia joined Samsung Innovation Campus to dive deeper and learn more about IT.

Learning the A to Z of programming

A year of Samsung Innovation Campus in 2019 was more than enough for Sofia to understand the fundamentals of programming. The lectures that Sofia took allowed her to comprehend new languages and technologies almost instantly. “Even when I attended a university-level lecture on programming after completing Samsung Innovation Campus courses, I did not find anything new that was not taught at the program,” said Sofia.

In addition to the fundamental knowledge and practical experience gathered through studying, Sofia emphasized how the program boosted her self-confidence. “My participation in Samsung Innovation Campus inspired me to believe in myself, that I can achieve my goals.”

Being the one girl in IT

“Sometimes people may underestimate you. Consider this as an advantage. You can have a certain ‘wow effect’ on them,” said Sofia. “For me, programming is my main occupation and entertainment that makes me happy. It does not matter if I am a girl or not.”

In 2020, Sofia won the National Technology Olympiad of Russia in the field of big data and machine learning, an achievement that opens the doors of admission to various universities with entrance exam exemptions. Sofia also spoke as a guest lecturer teaching artificial intelligence at Innopolis University, famous for education and research in the field of IT and Robotics.

“Samsung Innovation Campus was one of the most important turning points in my life, which changed and nurtured me not only professionally, but also as a person,” said Sofia. “I appreciate every aspect of the program – my instructor, the courses, the internal contest, and more. Without these experiences, I would have become a completely different person. Most likely, not even seeing programming as a part of my life.”