Launa is a software engineer passionate about increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the technology industry and approaching career-building as a series of fun and low-pressure experiments rooted in community service.
After graduating as co-valedictorian from a public high school outside Cleveland, Ohio, she matriculated to Princeton University, where she concentrated in religion and politics and graduated magna cum laude with top departmental honors. Uncertain of her next steps, she returned to her hometown and spent two years at a community development nonprofit teaching young adults GED-exam preparation and financial literacy—work that sparked her interest in technology. She took a leap of faith and enrolled in Tech Elevator, a coding bootcamp. Pivoting into the industry from a non-traditional background she launched her tech career as a software consultant for a Microsoft partner company, helping businesses migrate operations.
To formalize her skills in computer science and learn how to apply them for social good, she obtained a Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy from the University of Chicago, where she picked up additional skills in data science and machine learning. After graduating, she worked for the University of Chicago Data Science Institute for five years—developing websites, data pipelines, and analyses for nonprofits in the areas of human rights, environmental sustainability, and Black food justice.
Today, Launa has started the next chapter of her career at True Link Financial, a Forbes Fintech 50 company that builds banking products for underserved populations. By sharing her story, she hopes to encourage students to invest in themselves, take chances, resist impostor syndrome, and remain grounded by focusing on service to others.