This Women’s History Month, we are highlighting Opal’s co-founders who are transforming the mentorship landscape with a mobile application mentorship platform. Read their interview on being female founders in business and tech.
- Please introduce yourself!
Hello! I am the CEO of Opal and am passionate about leveraging my own knowledge and resources to create more accessible opportunities for others. I’m currently fulfilling this passion through Opal, which makes mentorship accessible, with an emphasis on connecting college students with mentors as they navigate their career-search journey. Outside of work, I love to play tennis, write, explore, make clay earrings, and anything that gets me away from a screen and closer to friends & family.
Hello there! I am the CTO of Opal, and I am an advocate for women and minorities in STEM. I love sharing my technical knowledge and my story about navigating imposter syndrome to empower others. Outside of Opal, I recently started to play ukulele, water color and attempt hand stands — a great way to gain a new perspective!
Hi! My name is Shining, and I am the Chief Content Officer of Opal. I love to explore a variety of subjects and learn all that I can before hopefully applying newfound passions and skills in meaningful and productive ways. Outside of work, I enjoy listening to music, reading books, watching movies and TV shows, and discovering new ways to hang out with friends and family.
2. Briefly talk about how the three of you met and how Opal came to be.
Mariah
I met both Story and Shining within our first years at Santa Clara University. We had all worked together on various projects and even jobs throughout our time at SCU.
Shining
Naturally, we found ourselves looking for internships and jobs alongside each other, and we slowly came to discover that we’d all found the process confusing and dispiriting.
Story
While facing lots of rejection in the job-search process, it can be hard to keep up morale, so I found comfort in sharing my experiences with my friends and co-founders, Mariah & Shining.
Shining
Thus, we came together to co-found Opal with the goal of making the process easier by facilitating mentorships. Through Opal, we also hope to create and bridge communities of people who can support and lift one another up through positivity, integrity, and solidarity.
Story
My motivation for co-founding Opal was to prevent others from falling into the same trap I faced and to provide them with mentors who can help them navigate through the imposter syndrome, the feeling of being out of place and not belonging. After all, we may not know exactly what we’re looking for out of our career, but having a mentor along the journey provides an example that continuing on is possible even when there’s a pivot. Ultimately, it’s our relationships that will continue to inspire us to be lifelong learners with a growth mindset and the knowledge that anything is possible if we set our minds to it.
Mariah
I couldn’t think of better or more supportive friends to start this journey with, as Story and Shining both would take the time to brainstorm with me even when Opal was just an idea.
3. The three of you participated in All Raise, a supportive community of women founders. Tell us about your experience!
Mariah
All Raise was an extremely empowering and enriching experience. When we hopped on the first Zoom call, it was us and around 400 other women who owned their own businesses.
Story
It was very powerful to be surrounded by many women who all share similar experiences, challenges, and priorities. Connecting with women founders across the globe and exchanging advice based on our unique perspectives and experiences was truly inspiring.
Shining
More importantly, everyone was incredibly supportive of everyone else in the community. It was a very special experience that I hope even more women are part of in the future.
Mariah
As women in tech and now entrepreneurship, we’re often one of the only few (or the only) women in the room. To be surrounded by so many women also pursuing their passions through entrepreneurship was incredibly motivating.
4. What challenges have you experienced as a female founder and as a woman in tech?
Mariah
I used to dwell on being the only woman in the room. But it forced me to befriend folks I got along with, put myself out there, and learn how to find commonalities between myself and others quickly. Attitude is also significant. “I am the only woman in this room” can sound and feel completely different depending on the tone. With the right tone and attitude, “I am the only woman in the room” can also mean “I’m proud of myself and for all of the women I’m opening this door for.”
Story
As a woman in tech, I felt lost and confused when it came to finding an internship and job. I set aside a couple hours every weekend to focus on applying to jobs online. Yet, I got automated rejection after automated rejection. Once, during the span of one hour, I was rejected from the same role at the same company twice. However, the company neglected to notice that they had already sent me an original rejection letter & left it up to a faulty automation system to give me the bad news a second time. This is one example of how I’ve felt a sense of not belonging. My hope is that through Opal, people in all walks of life can find a mentor, who by merely existing, will help reinforce the idea that we all belong and are exactly where we need to be.
Shining
It’s been a very common experience for me to be one of the few — if not the only — woman in the room. Oftentimes, I also feel out of my depth. As a result, I frequently feel challenged to go out of my comfort zone. Sometimes the situation requires me to be more outgoing than I feel I am, to take the step I typically wouldn’t have the confidence to take. Other times, I have to be honest with both myself and others about what I don’t know and what I still have to learn. However, in experiencing such things myself, I hope that I can share my experiences and learnings with others so that they don’t feel quite so alone or confused. I hope that in forging my own path, I can help lift others up as well.
5. What resources have you tapped into to develop your entrepreneurial and leadership skillset?
Mariah
Santa Clara University has a great Entrepreneurship program through the School of Engineering. Opal also participated in the Bronco Venture Accelerator and Bronco Pitch Competition.
Story
I’m very grateful for the Bronco Venture Accelerator which provided us with a network of people we continue to stay connected with even past the end of the program. Additionally, the support from the SCU community including current students, professors and alumni towards Opal is truly empowering.
Shining
Mariah, Story, and others we’ve worked and communicated with have been wonderful supports. Sometimes simple trial and error can help plenty too!
6. What can women do to kickstart their career in technology or entrepreneurship?
Mariah
Identify which aspect of these realms motivates you. Once you’ve found your niche or different options to explore, understand the difference between what you cannot do and what you don’t think you can do. My biggest obstacle has been my own self-doubt and negative thoughts. The sooner you can convince yourself that those thoughts are limiting to your growth and actively ignore them, the sooner you’ll progress toward the person you want to become.
Story
To get started in your career, it is important to work toward who you want to become. Defining your goals and putting them down in writing is the first step to reaching them. This could include the things you enjoy working on along with the people you’d like to surround yourself with to become your best self.
Shining
I think there will be at least one time in your career or professional development where you will doubt yourself and the next step you should take. For those times, I think it’s really important to find at least one thing that will support and encourage you to take that next step. It could be an internal motivator or an external support. It might be some thing or some one. What or whoever it is, know that you can count on them, and turn to them when you don’t know what else to do or when you can’t get out of your own head.
7. If your younger self came up to you asking for advice and you only had a few minutes to give your best advice, what would it be?
Mariah
Your strive for perfection is more limiting than accepting your imperfections as part of who you are and adapting from those. You are your own weakest link; strengthen your relationship with yourself if you want to strengthen your relationship with the world. Never prioritize achieving something over staying true to yourself and your values. Authenticity speaks volumes. Consistency and discipline are the secrets to growing into who you want to be.
Story
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The recognition that you cannot do everything on your own is very human. No one expects you to do it all.
People typically love the feeling of helping someone else out. Ultimately, you become more like the five people you spend the most time with, so finding a mentor to help guide you along the way is so important. Mentorship for me is the understanding that someone a little further along than me knows me, believes in me, motivates me and inspires me to be better than the current version of myself.
Imposter syndrome always has a way of sneaking up when you least expect it, but know that you’re stronger and more capable than you think.
Shining
Relax. You don’t need to know all the answers to be competent, and you don’t need to be the best to do well. Ask questions when you don’t know, and take a baby step if the next step is too much or too intimidating. A little is better than nothing at all.
8. March is Women’s History Month! Who is your role model?
Mariah
I have two answers for this. First, my mom. I get my work ethic, drive, curiosity, and empathy from her. Second, Frida Kahlo. She proved that pain can be turned to beauty and had a deep understanding of both herself and how who she was played a role in the relationships & world around her. I strive for her confidence, self-awareness, and understanding of the world, love, death, pain, and art.
Story
I’ve always looked up to my mom, who has taught me that determination will lead to success. She is a living example of what it means to be a strong woman, who doesn’t need outside approval. She always does what is right, no matter how hard that may be. Another one of my role models is Emma Watson, who uses her time to empower other women on a global level through her HeForShe campaign and United Nations work.
Shining
I think my answer to this question will forever and always be my mom. She’s intelligent, wise, thoughtful, diligent, and industrious. I hope for only half of her strength and energy to be as strong, tireless, and accomplished as she is.
Women’s History Month is a month to celebrate women leaders, our own heroines and the women in our families. As we near the end of Women’s History Month, remember that it does not stop here. Continue to celebrate women today, tomorrow, and in the future!
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