Name: Hlulani Baloyi
Role/Occupation: Digital Analyst
Country: South Africa
Hlulani Baloyi works as a digital analyst in a consulting firm, fulfilling the role of a full stack developer mostly working on client’s projects. Thus far, she has worked in banking, insurance and the telecom space, in an effort to bring about digital transformation for clients.
There are several factors that excite her about her field, but the three key factors that she feels are most important are an inspiration, the love of what I do, and the urge to leave a legacy behind. “The tech space is filled with experts that are dedicated to impacting the world to be a better space through digital abilities and being in this space and the realization that you are part of something bigger continuously revives the love of what I do every single day,” she explains.
Baloyi's journey started when she graduated from the Tshwane University of Technology with a Diploma in Information and Communication Technology, majoring in Technical applications. She then joined Geekulcha and became aware of the gender disparity between males and females in the ICT sector. After some research, she came across Girl Rising, a global initiative that helps teach women how to code and tackle the gender gap. Baloyi would later become the South African ambassador for Girl Rising. But she did not stop there, under the same umbrella she co-founded women in tech organization called Raeketsetsa (we are doing it ourselves). Raeketsetsa focuses on sustaining young women who are already part of the tech space. Baloyi also later became an Intel ambassador for their #SheWillConnect initiative; an initiative designed to help women all over become computer literate.
Some of Baloyi’s other career highlights have included being awarded a Google Africa Challenge Scholarship, being headhunted to work for IBM, bring awarded a certificate after attending a Girl Code hackathon for women empowerment at BoxFussion as well as being featured in a number of prestigious publications and IQ Videos with Intel.
When addressing her experience as a woman in STEM, she considers herself to have been fairly fortunate “to work in spaces that embrace diversity, however, due to the fact that the space still lacks a lot of women, it continues to be a space filled with intimidation.” She emphasizes the need for relatable role models in the tech space for women and recalls that “this has been one hardest thing to find as a young woman in tech.”
Some of the key lessons that she would like to share with young women aspiring to enter the STEM field is to nurture relationships and networks; to ask for help when you required, as there are people who are ready to help; to pay it forward and to be weary of Imposter Syndrome. It “will constantly knock with hope to remind [women] that they are incapable, I urge them to by all means to confront this syndrome by constantly reminding themselves that they are enough and more than anything, they are more deserving.” She also iterates that the STEM field is about solving real everyday problems and this will mean that women will constantly face challenges due to the nature of this field, “may they tackle challenges with pride knowing that they are part of a bigger picture,” she elaborates.
In a recent African continental tour that involved five African countries and with the aim of understanding how other parts of the world approach their daily life, Baloyi visited co-working spaces that incubated tech entrepreneurs. She describes this experience as been mind-blowing, “beyond me sharing my experiences this became a learning journey where I was afforded an opportunity to learn from others. I, in the process also got to observe the landscape of Women in Tech space in all the spaces I visited, while there’s still a long way to go, there is hope.”
She feels that there is a need to encourage a united front as Africans as this will provide an opportunity to learn from each other, “as a continent we are still in a growing phase and this means that women have a greater part to play in making sure we have the Africa we are dreaming of and love.”
Read more about Hlulani Baloyi, a digital analyst who will force you to analyze your position and make a difference, through her hard work, determination and visionary spirit, in an interview below.
Hlulani Baloyi was interviewed by Dhruti Dheda, the founder of the African Steminist on behalf of Geeky Girl Reality. The full interview can be found here.
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