“Every woman in tech inspires me.” Product designer and Writer, Oluchi ‘Lulu’ Nwenyi Takes us Through her Tech Journey

“Being an African woman in tech isn’t easy and it’s amazing that they still push. Literally, every woman in tech inspires me.”

Every month, Scale My Hustle, through its women-in-tech series feature, sheds light on young aspiring women in tech who are finding and creating their paths in the tech industry. We bring you real stories of women who amid gender biases are pulling their weight, and positively influencing the tech space.

Today, we shed the light on Lulu Nwenyi, a product designer and writer. She also volunteers as an editor with She Code Africa, a non-profit organisation focused on celebrating and empowering young girls and women in technology across Africa.

For Lulu, she knew the tech industry was for her when her interest in computer science was somewhat beyond a normal limit

“In junior secondary school, computer sciences interested me more than usual and I was always looking forward to learning more. In senior secondary school, my computer science teacher took note of my interest and helped me develop it by making me attend programs that we (the school) were invited to.”

Lulu’s experience in the tech industry spans 2 years, she sums it up in one sentence

“It’s not so much but it has involved a lot of growth.”

Here’s how she describes her tech journey

“My journey has been quite rough because not everyone around me supports me being a woman in tech. To some of my family, it won’t allow me to be a “good wife”. However, the support I get from my friends is overwhelming and it keeps me going.”

Being a good wife isn’t all there is to a woman. And we are grateful that the world is moving past that ugly narrative. Lulu says it feels amazing to see women being supported to grow and attain their dreams

“A lot of companies in the tech industry try to push for women empowerment. It feels amazing to see women being supported to grow and attain their dreams. Even if some men are crybabies about it, I see a lot of women winning still, and that’s what matters.”

Lulu’s tech journey might be a rough one, but she’s surrounded by women who push

“When I look at the She Code Africa community, it makes me so happy that so many women are pushing to be the best they can be. Being an African woman in tech isn’t easy and it’s amazing that they still push. Literally, every woman in tech inspires me.”

To the young woman who wants to join the tech industry, but doesn’t know where to start from. Lulu has some advice for you. 

Joining tech isn’t as hard as it seems. The only hard part is growing and keeping up with your learning. You can even start with drag and drop builders like WordPress. Just start from where you can. Use the internet as much as you can, ask questions when you need to and join communities that help you grow. You also have to showcase your work and be ready for criticism because it plays a huge role in your growth.

Lastly, you have to be always ready to unlearn and relearn.

A big thank you to Lulu for sharing her tech journey. Here’s wishing her all the goodness and success she deserves.