Nikki Murray

Tell us your story.

I was working full time providing case management to people seeking abortion care, and I spent a lot of time correcting false information. I decided to create an app that would help people navigate the confusing and obstacle blocked road that is getting abortion care.I asked for help on the technical side of things, and the person I asked offered to take me to a Rails Girls meet up so I could learn more about coding. I spent about a year teaching myself the command line, git, and Ruby before taking a part time course at General Assembly. I now code full time.

My cats definitely helped me get here, providing lots of opportunities to play around making them different websites and web apps. My family, partners, and friends were all super supportive of me and making the switch from social work to coding. My original app idea has now spawned a small collective of women working together to create a few different apps for reproductive justice!

What do you most want other women and young girls to know about being a woman in our digital culture?

It doesn't always feel like it, but there are lots of other people who want you here, who want to hear your thoughts and opinions. Find these people.

Pass it on!

AlterConf (http://www.alterconf.com/), FundClub (http://joinfundclub.com/), CollectQT (https://twitter.com/collectqt) and Model View Culture (https://modelviewculture.com/) are all doing awesome things for women in tech and inspire me to keep using tech to make the world a better and more inclusive place for everyone.

The Women in Tech campaign exists to help redefine what women in technology means in the 21st century. Started independently by a group of professional women who, after many impassioned discussions about women in tech knew we wanted to expand this definition beyond 'traditional' technology skills. To us, it includes most every current, emerging or evolving role within an organization. By featuring leaders and emerging leaders across industries who embody this we hope to collectively 'stand up', be proud of our place in the digital world and inspire young women or those new to the 'tech space' to get involved.