Anna Francesca Dela Cruz (Cesca)

I'm Cesca (ses-ka), a software developer with a background in UX design.

My journey to code is a long one. Having been raised by Filipino immigrants and attending a small all-girls high school, the career options presented to me were limited to healthcare, education, and administration. I also prided myself as an "art kid," and like many women, I convinced myself that my skills were valued more in liberal arts. But while interning for a publishing house, my team and I were assigned a role I feared: Web Developer. Miraculously, my team members and I redesigned their website to promote their new novel, and I fell in love with web development. So I set aside my romance writing dreams to study Interaction Design. My love grew deeper—and my defiance of minimalism began. Tired of seeing the same "clean," "modern," space-filled styles dominating the industry, I create interfaces that are warm, personal, and chaotic but also...orderly; That is, I believe in embracing fun and vibrant designs that celebrate individuality without sacrificing user experience. Today, I continue to teach myself code and read romance on the side. As one of the few female role models in web development, I also hope to encourage more girls and women towards STEM and make their paths to a career in code clearer.