Sarai’s Story: From Self-Doubt to Software Developer at OpenSolar
Part of our ‘Accelerating Action’ Series for International Women’s Day 2025
When you picture a software developer, what comes to mind? For Sarai Perez, the image she grew up with didn’t look anything like her.
“A few years back, when thinking of what type of person works as a programmer, I never pictured someone like me. You picture a white Californian prodigy guy, not a random girl from Mexico in an internet cafe.”
That self-doubt ran deep. In fact, Sarai actively avoided studying computer science because she thought it would be too difficult — not because she lacked the interest, but because the image of who belonged in tech didn’t include her.
“I regret not studying computer science in the first place because I was too scared I would fail my degree if I tried to study something too difficult for me.”
That fear — of not belonging, of not being enough — is something Sarai knows too many women feel when considering careers in STEM.
Today, as a Software Developer at OpenSolar, Sarai is not only part of the solar industry’s future but she’s also rewriting who belongs in tech.
“I’m very proud of having acquired skills that allow me to be independent and look after myself no matter where in the world you drop me. Particularly for women, independence is massively important.”
But Sarai’s vision for the future of STEM and solar goes beyond gender. She believes true progress means seeing people as individuals — not just statistics or labels.
“The thing I would love to see in the future is for humans to take more consideration when categorising others and ourselves. Our individual characteristics have a far larger impact than our demographic, yet we often rely on broad statistics when making decisions that shape our world.”
This mindset, valuing individuality over assumptions, shapes the advice she gives to her younger self and to any woman wondering if they belong in tech:
“It sounds hard to believe, but if you want something bad enough and for long enough, you’ll achieve at least some version of it. Don’t underestimate the power of perseverance and hard work — and remember, everyone falls off the horse. What matters is getting back on it.”
As OpenSolar celebrates International Women’s Day, stories like Sarai’s remind us that accelerating action starts with changing the image of who belongs and challenging the habit of boxing people into predefined categories. Real progress happens when we make space for every individual story to shine.
Read more from our IWD2025 series.
