Spotlight On: Alice Won

Original post published here.

It’s May, which means Women Who Code Dallas/Ft. Worth gets a chance to shine our spotlight on another member of our organization. This month, Alice Won is center stage, and we are in awe of her every move!

Alice is a relatively new member who wasted no time volunteering to help out at events — from holding doors open to greeting new arrivals, Alice was there. It was at one of these events that I got the chance to talk more about what she does, and was so impressed.

If you live in an apartment, you’re probably used to the same sort of websites that most apartments have. Each one has subtle differences in overall look and feel, but it’s clear that the back end is the same. It turns out the back end is the same, and Alice is one of the people who redesigns the front end for each new client of hers (and so much more!).

Alice works at Yardi Systems where she uses HTML, LESS, jQuery, and JavaScript to create and edit custom websites for her real estate clients. Her workload is split up to be about 3-% design and 70% coding — the best of both worlds!

Her journey to code wasn’t direct, as is the case with most of our members. She started out in school for a Bachelor’s in Fine Art. She made some pit stops along the way, checking out real estate at one point, and then UX Design. As a part of this detour, she started playing with HTML and CSS. “[I] learned that I enjoyed building out the designs more than creating them,” she says. Alice quickly leaned into picking up side projects here and there until she had a portfolio robust enough to land her a full time job.

Alice was encouraged to attend a Women Who Code DFW event by a friend of hers and fellow member, Laura, and she is so glad she did. When asked what made her want to join, she said: “I find the events to be very valuable, whether is a lightning talk with great info, or just meeting someone that wants to [collaborate] on a side project.”

“It is so important to feel represented, and to find a positive and safe space that supports you and your goals.”

Recently, Alice stumbled upon some old notes from about a year and a half ago, and was surprised at how much she had learned in such a short time: “I was amazed at everything I’ve learned and how much confidence I’ve gained. It made me feel proud and motivated to see the progress I’ve made so far.”

When not working, Alice loves aerial fitness. She attends pole and lyra hoop classes, and she even competes sometimes. She also loves any sort of horror, thriller, or true crime media. Perhaps the most horrifying thing is how much time she spends admiring her cats. (Kidding, Alice! We love you!) Alice is motivated almost solely by coffee and her cats, though she also says she is driven by “what unknown challenges will make me a better developer [each] day”.

What’s on the horizon for Alice? She wants to become a more well-rounded front end developer, which — for her — means learning about React and sharpening her CSS skills. She also wants to become more knowledgeable in the topic of web accessibility. Alice has long-term goals, too: “Eventually, I would love to contribute to my coding community and work with girls learning how to code because I really wish I had a community like that when I was growing up”.

“I’m so happy I found WWC. It truly is an amazing group of people who inspire me to be better in so many ways!”

For now, we’re keeping our eyes on Alice. She’s one to watch, as she is growing and learning at such a rapid pace. At each event we host, we love checking in to hear what she’s working on recently. Keep up the great work, Alice! We’re in awe of your work ethic and passion for the industry.