What A Software Engineer Looks Like

Meet Tsion Behailu, a Google Software Engineer in the San Francisco Bay area. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelors in Computer Engineering. Tsion is not only a diligent and driven person, she also has a heart of gold. She is dedicated to helping others reach their highest potential. I’m lucky enough to have her as my cousin and mentor. When she’s not out conquering the world, she travels, spends quality time with family and friends, and inspires others to pursue computer science. 

Tsion was born in Metehara, Ethiopia and came to Atlanta, Georgia with her family when she was only seven years old. She has two younger brothers that are currently attending college. As a young girl, she persevered through the strain of being an immigrant in a foreign country and made it her goal to help her brothers navigate in this new environment as well. 

Tsion graduated top 1% of her IB program in her high school. During her years at UC Berkeley, she triumphed through the many challenges that came with being an underrepresented student in the top Computer science school. She had no familiarity with computer engineering before this. She diligently worked on her courses while focusing also on projects close to her heart. She co-founded Tequity, an on-campus organization that promotes inclusion in the technology industry. Tsion also built Information Communication Technology to increase Ethiopian Farmers’ access to markets.

 During the summer before her senior year,  she worked at Groupon as a Software Engineer intern. During her senior year, she was named one of the “Top 100 Student Entrepreneurs” by the Dublin Web Summit. She graduated with the the University’s Eugene Lawler prize. 

Tsion frequently speaks at Google panels at several high schools and colleges in California. She’s featured on CareersWithCode magazine, displayed in schools all over the United States. She is passionate about making education accessible for everyone. Her hard work has paved the way for her siblings and I as well as other computer science students encouraged by her journey!  

One of the many things that fascinates me about Tsion is that in her mind, there’s always more work to be done. She’s always looking at the bigger picture and guiding others along.

And look at her, seriously.

She SLAYS. 

Personal website: http://www.tsionbehailu.me/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbehailu/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yene_konjo/