Giving Compass' Take:

• The author tells the inspiring story of Soso Luningo who grew up in extreme poverty in South Africa.  Despite her upbringing, Luningo pursued a career in technology and ended up becoming the first female head of an IT department in a casino near her village.

• Luningo talks about empowerment and confidence as necessary traits for a woman to have while working in the tech industry. What other characteristics are helpful when facing challenges in a male-dominant profession?

• Read about the unsung women in tech that you should know about.

Soso Luningo grew up in extreme poverty in a village near Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Her home was essentially a small shed with a leaky, corrugated metal roof, no electricity, and just one bed. Most of her family slept on the dirt floor.

But Soso was bright and determined, and had the full support of her parents in her quest to not just to survive her circumstances, but to thrive despite the many challenges she faced.

She focused on her education and won a scholarship to a university in Johannesburg, where she also enrolled in the Cisco Networking Academy. The networking academy, supported by international technology company Cisco, provides students with opportunities to build the skills they need to pursue a career in technology.

Her Cisco networking certification enabled Soso to land a job at a new casino that was opening near her village, where she became the first woman in the IT department, then the first female IT supervisor, and ultimately the first female head of the IT department.

From there, Soso’s career continued to blossom and eventually she became a chief systems engineer, advising businesses and government agencies on their network deployments. Along the way, she gained the confidence to challenge both racial and sexist attitudes prevalent in South African culture.

She became an instructor at the Cisco Networking Academy, the same program that empowered her to build a better life for herself and those around her. Soso now has joined Cisco as a corporate social responsibility manager for South Africa, but she continues to mentor Networking Academy students, particularly young women, encouraging them to be bold and confident in pursuit of their dreams.

Read the full article about Soso's career in technology by Daniele Selby at Global Citizen