This was originally posted on Dev.to for their WeCoded celebration.

You know how they say "You learn as you go"? Well, it's actually true. For March, I decided to publish my series, Bada$$ Women in Tech. It's where I write posts on Twitter about women who made wonderful contributions to the tech industry every day in honor of International Women's History Month. By shining a spotlight on some of the amazing women I’ve worked with, I’ve not only been able to learn the diverse stories and triumphs of women in tech, but I've learned 3 lessons on writing along the way. Now, grab your keyboard and open a new document on Google Docs(or whatever word-processing system you use) because

1. You can contribute to tech in many ways.

When I started Bada$$ Women in Tech, I initially was going to focus on women who are entrepreneurs, CEOs, and founders. As I found and researched more women to spotlight, I quickly realized that whether they are CEO or community manager at a tech start-up, any woman's story of contribution to the industry is important and must be shared. Ok onto the next lesson.

2. Go with your gut

I was brainstorming some names to add to my list of women to highlight, and I came across this person:

This is Angelica Ross. She's known for playing Candy on Pose and runs a non-profit tech organization called TransTech Social Enterprise

At first, I was really excited about the idea of including her in my series but then I remembered that some parts of Twitter have bigoted views about transwomen, so I experienced a little bit of mental ping-pong game. On one hand, I wanted to share her story since my goal for this series was to celebrate women from diverse backgrounds in tech, but on the other hand, I did not want Ross and any other transwoman to be subjected to potential bullying and harassment. So I posted my concern on one of the Discord channels in Baddies in Tech (one of the greatest communities I've ever been in) and asked for some advice. A few minutes later, one person mentioned that I was doing a good thing by adding Ross to my lineup and just simply block any Twitter trolls(To social media newbies, trolls are individuals who often post negative comments under a person's post) from my thread. They also suggested that I post a link to my tweet so they can retweet it and defend my post against negative comments. So, I took that person's advice and made that post. Ok, I'm getting sappy, so let's get back to the lessons before I start crying.

3. Be open to suggestions

As cliche as it sounds, two hands are actually better than one. Since I started this series, I have received a lot of support and some suggestions from other women on ladies to spotlight in my series. This warmed my heart because it shows that my series' goal is being achieved: empowering women in the tech community. Ok, let's move on before I get emotional!

Takeaways

Overall, I am very proud of starting this series, and I look forward to seeing how many women I can empower as it continues to grow. Speaking for growth, if you have any suggestions on what you would like to be spotlighted, post them in the comments section below. Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter to see updates on my series and connect with me on my other socials via Linkfree. Now, go out there and be awesome ladies and those in between!

Credits

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