Introducing Cecilia
Tags: internships, programming, opensource, womenintech
Published: 2022-12-09 11:18:08

**A bit about myself**

![introduction](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/l0p6ug9790vj3g6bf3mz.jpg)

My name is Orji Cecilia Olanma, a graduate of the University of Lagos Nigeria and, studied Geography and Planning. I got introduced to Programming by one of my best friend Azuma Margret. I remember returning back from Youth Service and I had gone to her place, she just got accepted to Andela and she was gisting me about it and the opportunities one can get as a Software Developer.

I attended a 4 weeks Bootcamp with She Hacks Africa under the WAAW (Working to Advance STEM Education for African Women) Foundation where I learned HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and a little bit of Nodejs. I went to work with OPAy as a customer support agent for almost 3 years but while working I continued learning and enrolled in some virtual internships like start.ng, HNG, DevCareer and Progate, Zuri & Ingressive 4 Good. I applied to Decagon and got accepted in January 2022 so I had to leave my job and face it fully. At Decagon, I focused on Golang and React.js but I am more backend-heavy.

My areas of interest include web3, Blockchain, Open-source contribution, and Cloud Computing.

**My core values**

![core values](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8k9jntnjnfbsts8srufo.jpeg)

3 major core values important to me are;

- **Community**: This is because this represents family, a support system. Family is an institution that matters very much to me. I believe that your family can never put you away. Development in society starts from the unit called family. Our world will become a better place if every family takes responsibility for the individuals that form a part of it. The support that a family gives cannot be underestimated. This support goes a long way in creating mental structures that motivates you to become whatever you want to be. This support also often translates to an undiluted belief in your capabilities, which gives is comforting to know that there are people who are ready to do their best to ensure your success. 

- **Kindness**: According to the Oxford dictionary, It is " the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate". I believe if we all can be just a little bit kind to our neighbors the world will be a better place. We already have a lot going on in the world (Climate change, floods, drought, eruptions, etc). 

- **Service**:  I believe in service and giving back to society. This quote by Albert Einstein: 

> "It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least, an equivalent of what he takes out of it"

is my mantra and motivation for giving back to the community, and for affecting the lives of girls through active empowerment. 

**What motivated me to apply to Outreachy**
Hmmm... It was cause I have always been interested in contributing to Open-source projects and remember one of my core values listed above is service and giving back after receiving so much from the earth and people in general. 

I got introduced by a friend to Outreachy and I remember adding my mail to the mailing list and waiting for the next application. I applied, passed to the contribution stage, and chose

![Tor Browser](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/97tu3auefwyoq7jxstq7.png)

[Tor Project](https://www.torproject.org/) ( Extend GetTor to distribute TorBrowser on censored networks over IM and social media) as the project I want to contribute to as it aligns with my values. I made my first contribution and the merging of my pull request gave me immense joy. Eventually, I got accepted as an Outreachy intern!