Thursday, September 20, 2018

SaaSha Pina


Photo Courtesy Of SaaSha Pina

WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?
I'm currently located in West Palm Beach, Florida. I have a bit of a nomadic spirit. I was born, raised and spent a good majority of my life in Boston, Massachusetts and have plans of moving back in the upcoming weeks.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED?
Boston, MA.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY OR HOMETOWN?
The best thing about my hometown is the definitely the culture, and its beautiful views. Because we're home to some of the greatest colleges we get to see great young minds from all walks of life. Also, Boston is just beautiful. I love the fall and the colors that come and go with the seasons, not to mention we're close to some absolutely stunning mountains.

WHAT WERE YOUR ASPIRATIONS GROWING UP?
My aspirations growing up? Well, just like any kid I wanted to be a ninja super spy. I was also the daughter of an Olympic Tae Kwon Do coach, so my involvement with sport martial arts definitely encouraged the ninja super spy thing. As I got older I found a great love in mathematics, numbers, challenges, and really getting my hands on anything that involved solving problems. I then dreamed of being a mathematician. I entertained other desires around art, design, and entrepreneurship. I then finally found tech, learned how to code, fell even more in love and decided I found a place where I can express myself in all those areas and wanted to become a software engineer.

WHY SCIENCE AND THE DIGITAL SPACE?
Because it's the future. There's so much good in the world that can be done and improved with technology, and I want to be a part of that movement. 

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I studied mathematics for a year at the University of Massachusetts Boston, I then moved to Miami,  and went on to study computer science and entrepreneurship for a few years at Miami Dade College. Completely fascinated with coding and software engineering, I left school for a more focused hands-on rigorous program. I found Lambda School, a six-month CS fundamental and Full-Stack Engineering Academy. Graduated August 2018.
 

WHO OR WHAT HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOU?
Two people have been the biggest influence in my life. This is a bit of a cliche answer, but one of the biggest influences of my life is by far my mother. I know everyone replies with this answer. But there's just no avoiding it. She embodies everything I believe in; the importance of balance between life/your well being, working hard/never giving up and contributing something meaningful to mankind. She's been through so much and all while raising three kids in the hood on her own, became a natural pathic doctor, built her own successful business from scratch, and continuously remains a giver. She just keeps a loving, powerful, humble spirit you can't help but admire. She definitely inspires me everyday to stay humble, grounded, and hard working. My second biggest influence in life has been the CEO of Lambda School, the coding academy I recently graduated from, Austen Allred. He has made such an insane impact in my life in such a short amount of time. His story, his dedication to his students and team is just some of the amazing things about him. He continuously demonstrates the embodiment of believing in those who others wouldn't necessarily believe in.

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR TECHNOLOGY SKILLS CURRENT?
I like to follow tech blogs and the top tech influencers in the industry on Twitter. I also regularly attend tech meetings and conferences.

OTHER INTERESTS?
Like I said before, ninja super spy. I love martial arts. I love Xtreme Martial Arts, parkour, flipping, and the likes. Other hobbies include capoeira, yoga, traveling/hiking mountains. I enjoy living in different places and learning about different cultures. Learning Japanese and watching anime is also my fun past time.

WHAT DO YOU GET UP TO WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?
When I'm not working I'm usually doing "other interests". I also like to spend time with the hubby going on weird adventures, playing with my dogs and being near the ocean.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
To unwind its really important I get my daily "me time" in. I usually dedicate at least two hours of my day doing something for me and unrelated to anyone or anything else. This may be a yoga session, exercise, running, drawing, meditating, sunbathing, reading a book, or anything in between.

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