All Blog Posts

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with computer science students at my university. I’ve been invited back as a guest speaker for the same course each year, and it’s always something I truly… Read more: The Questions They’re Too Afraid to Ask

In a world that rewards hustle, slowing down can almost feel wrong. As an engineer, I’ve spent years building things. My mind is wired to solve problems, to optimize, to fix. I’m used to measuring… Read more: The Courage to Slow Down

Just like in life, every career has chapters. Some are filled with momentum and adrenaline. Others demand soul-searching, patience, and growth. My past two years at Messenger were all of the above and more. When… Read more: Built Through Challenge: My Time at Messenger

Recently, I sat in on a Women in Leadership talk hosted by the Facebook org at work and I have to admit, I usually skip these because I tell myself I have “too much work.”… Read more: Tackling Unconscious Bias in Tech

I’m writing this blog post for a few reasons. First, I was promoted to Senior Engineer during a pivotal cultural shift at the company I work for (and tech industry in general). Second, I want… Read more: Navigating Change and Growth: My Journey to Senior Engineer

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Setting goals is a fundamental step on the journey of personal and career growth. Goals provide us with direction, motivation, and a sense of purpose. They serve… Read more: The Importance of Setting Goals

I had been working at Meta for ~8 months when my manager brought up the conversation about my first promotion. This didn’t mean I was promoted, it meant my manager and I were going to… Read more: How to Get Your First Promotion

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my very first Metaversary! That’s what we call a work anniversary at Meta. Time flew by, it feels like just yesterday I was nervous about interviewing. In only 1… Read more: My First Metaversary: What I Learned After 1 Year at Meta

As I see the progress of our first home being completed, I couldn’t help but feel thankful for being financially intelligent when I started earning my own money. And because of that, I need to… Read more: The Importance of Financial Intelligence

Lately I’ve been feeling extremely grateful and humbled by all the women who have followed me on this journey. Especially for those who have reached out to share their own stories and how my story… Read more: A Message to Aspiring Women in Tech

3 years ago, I moved to Chicago for a summer to complete an internship. If you haven’t read that blog post, it’s linked here. It was my first time moving and living away from home,… Read more: Do It For Your Future Self

Here is something that’s rarely discussed: the real world post-grad. You’ve been so comfortable living the life of a student. You have every excuse to live at home, avoid paying bills, not have a real… Read more: Life After College

Well, it’s here. You asked for it! My journey to Facebook, part 1. A year ago, summer 2020, I interned at Facebook as a Software Engineer. Wow, it’s been a year and saying that I… Read more: How I Landed an Internship at Facebook

Three out of five of my internships have been remote. Remote work is harder on an intern because we tend to rely on support and asking questions. I had to explore different methods to interact… Read more: Making The Best Out of Remote Work

Well, this is it. My undergraduate journey has come to an end. On May 15th 2021, I walked across the stage and earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics… Read more: Graduation: The End of a Chapter

One of the most commonly asked questions I’ve received is how do I stay motivated. Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret… I am not always motivated. Motivation comes and goes.… Read more: Finding Motivation

We’ve all had to take that first step into the real world. It can be intimidating and sometimes too scary to take. I remember being there. I was registering for my senior year, excited as… Read more: 7 Tips On Landing Your First Internship

Let’s talk Imposter Syndrome. If you’re not familiar with the term, imposter syndrome is when you doubt your abilities and feel like you don’t belong somewhere. It’s the idea that you got a job “by… Read more: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Let’s talk self improvement. This past year has been extremely challenging and we all learned to cope in different ways – some of us take walks, some of us do yoga and others read! Well,… Read more: My Favorite Books for Self-Improvement

My second internship was a dream come true. I don’t even know where to begin… My sophomore year of college, I applied to the Disney College Program and to my surprise, I got in! I… Read more: My Software Engineering Internship At Disney

When I started preparing for technical interviews, it was challenging to figure out where to start. I created a routine that helped me stay organized and true to myself as I learned how to pass… Read more: How I Prepared for Technical Interviews

2 years ago, I was sitting in my Data Structures course and we had a visitor. I do not remember his name and I wish I would’ve written down his information so I can reach… Read more: My Summer Internship in Chicago

Hello, my name is Paola and I am a current senior at the University of Texas at El Paso. If you’d like to know a little more about me, check out my About page! I… Read more: First Blog Post: Hello World