Ada Lovelace Day commemorates Ada Lovelace, who is considered to be the world’s first programmer. It serves to celebrate women in STEM fields, and entice the next generation of young women to bring their talents into the STEM workforce.

This year, System76 highlights the first woman coder of GNOME, Rosanna Yuen, who has been a staple in the GNOME community for decades.

Q: First, a little background about yourself for those who may not be familiar.

I am the Director of Operations at the GNOME Foundation. I have been a GNOME user since GNOME 0.13 (released in 1997) and have been using it ever since. At that time GNOME was little more than a panel and a few applications. My first contribution was co-creating AisleRiot — the GNOME solitaire game. We still ship it today and I’m proud to still have code in GNOME that people use.

Q: What first got you interested in coding? Who did you look up to along the way?

I was lucky to have had coding classes in elementary school starting in second grade. I loved the problem-solving aspect of it. I took a lot of computer classes through high school, but never thought of it as more than a hobby. It never occurred to me that it could be a possible career. Maybe I needed to have more role models at that age.

Q: Back in 2016 you were the sole employee at the GNOME Foundation aside from the board. How did you tackle the challenge of being the only employee there?

I was also the only employee at the GNOME Foundation when I was hired! I have had the pleasure to have worked with three wonderful Executive Directors, and each of them have brought different strengths to the role. In the times where I was the only employee, the Board of Directors and general GNOME community has stepped up to help me fill in the gaps.

Q: Why did you first take a position there 13 years ago?

The first GNOME Foundation Executive Director resigned and someone needed to keep things running. I had volunteered to help sort out the paperwork and was expecting a child at the time. After my maternity leave finished, the Board of Directors offered to pay me part-time to keep helping to go through the paperwork, and the position has grown from there.

Q: What excites you about working there?

For a long time, as the only employee or one of two employees, I had the flexibility of defining my job. As GNOME grows, I have been learning new skills to keep up. GNOME is nothing without its volunteers. I love the energy and different skill sets and perspectives our volunteers bring. We have such a smart and sharing community, and I’ve learned so much from them. This motivates me and reminds me why GNOME is such a wonderful community.

Q: What future technologies are you most excited for?

I am looking forward to GNOME reinvigorating their focus on accessibility. It is an area GNOME excelled in in the past, and I am hoping we can once again make it a priority. I’m also enjoying seeing all the new apps showing up in flathub.

Q: Would you attribute the gender gap in the STEM field more to a lack of interest, or to a lack of opportunities for young women?

Representation matters. My STEM teachers in high school were female. They pushed me and I went to a college to study STEM. My college professors were almost all male. I no longer felt as secure in my abilities. The more diverse our teachers/professors/mentors are, the more diverse future generations in STEM will be.

Q: What would you say to encourage young women to enter a STEM field?

That’s a tall order! Young women should consider STEM fields because they solve real-world problems and better our understanding of everything around us.

I would love to see more young women enter STEM fields and especially contribute to the GNOME project. I would also hope that young women are able to follow their passions, wherever that takes them.

If you’re interested in starting a career in coding, graphic design, or other related fields, read about Outreachy, GNOME Foundation’s internship program, at outreachy.org.

Come celebrate Ada Lovelace Day with us on the System76 Facebook page by sharing your own STEM story with us!