Hella's path to AI wasn't conventional. With a bachelor's in Child Studies, she initially saw herself working in psychology or therapy, not engineering. "It's hard to see yourself as a young woman in a role that's mainly represented by men," Hella explains. A programming minor taken on a whim changed everything. "I enjoyed the way it combined 'creating something' with analytical thinking, and the way it challenged me more than my other studies ever did."
Now, seven years into her AI career, Hella works as both a senior machine learning engineer and career mentor at Xomnia. She brings a unique perspective to her work, combining analytical rigor with intuition. "I try to teach my mentees that not everything has to be written in stone, and it's okay to sometimes just feel what's right," she says.
Xomnia's ongoing collaboration with Equals Amsterdam reflects a deeper commitment to building an inclusive tech community. Equals Amsterdam works to level the playing field for women who face structural barriers in their careers, from unequal household responsibilities to workplace biases.
"As a company committed to solving real-world challenges with data and AI, we believe that fostering an inclusive community is essential to driving true innovation," says Xomnia. By participating in the Role Model Campaign for the fourth year, Xomnia demonstrates that diversity isn't just a value, it's a catalyst for stronger performance and creativity.
Through role models like Hella, the campaign shows young women that a career in technology is not only possible but rewarding, regardless of where you start.
Read more about Hella's story and what inspired her career on Equals’ website.
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