Hawraa Hayder is a software engineering student from Baghdad. She joined the She Codes Too + DataCamp program looking for something new to learn—and found herself falling in love with data. Through the scholarship, she built strong technical skills and developed a more analytical mindset. Supported by a welcoming community, Hawraa left the program with greater confidence and a clear direction for her future.

I’m Hawraa Hayder, a software engineering student from Iraq. A few months ago, I was searching for opportunities to learn something new and develop myself. By chance, I came across the She Codes Too + DataCamp scholarship and felt it might be a life-changing opportunity. I applied and got accepted—not knowing that this small step would make me love the data field this much.

The scholarship lasted from January to June 2025, during which I followed learning tracks like Data Analyst with Python and Associate Data Scientist. Every lesson I completed gave me a boost of confidence.

I learned how to work with data from scratch—organising it, cleaning it, analysing it, and building useful models. Even SQL, which I was afraid of at first, became something I enjoyed using and understanding how it works. I felt I wasn’t just learning; I was changing how I think and viewing things in a more analytical way.

What made the difference and helped me continue was the support from She Codes Too and the community I was part of. The women, the sessions, and all the discussions kept me motivated and helped me push through moments of exhaustion. For the first time, I felt like I belonged somewhere—and that I could truly be part of this field.

Today, I feel more confident—not only in my skills, but also in the way I think and in my ambitions. After finishing the scholarship, I decided to keep learning and applying what I’ve gained, and I know opportunities will come at the right time. What I’m sure of is that this experience was truly a turning point in my life.

To any woman reading this and thinking of applying, I’d say: apply, even if you’re not sure. Sometimes one step is all it takes to change how you see yourself and your whole future.