Because

I am invited to speak at international conferences

because...

I invented a tool called Compass ,
')
because...

I use Sass and work at Caring.com,

because...

they hired me to work as a software architect and convinced me to try Ruby,

because...

one of the founders is the best friend of my husband's best friend's husband, who met me,

because...

she took the nose of a friend of my friend we met

because...

I got a job in one of the start-ups of the Valley, which I found out at the job fair at the Caltech Institute,

because...

I entered Caltech,

because...

my college instructor said that I would never get to Caltech

because...

Caltech is impossible to do yourself. But that did not stop me; I threw all the strength to prepare for the entrance exams,

because...

I had nothing to lose

because...

I was in college

because...

I worked as a pizza peddler at a pizza parlor and the assistant manager said that nothing good would come of me.

So if you drive through Visalia in California, you can slow down near Boston Pizza and tell the assistant manager “Thank you!” I am sure that she is still working there.