"I'm not superhuman. It's a mindset. Anyone can do it."
Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) ‘20 in 20’ awardee Jennifer Reyes has learned how to adapt to any situation she finds herself in; and she does it with unwavering ferocity as well as a rejection of buckled knees and submission.
Aside from being a Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) ‘20 in 20’ awardee, Jennifer also now serves as WiTWA Secretary. Source: WiTWA
Though she be little, she is fierce
From an early age, Jennifer discovered that the strength and tenacity she learned from her parents were allies that would serve her well in the years ahead.
"My family migrated to Perth when I was eight years old," she shares, laughing, "I remember one day watching TV and I turned around to my dad and said, Out of all the countries that you had to ship us to, why couldn’t you ship us to America where they have Sesame Street?' But I later on realised that those hard decisions they made, they made for [me and my sister]."
And when it comes to hard decisions, Jennifer shares that being bullied for being the new Asian in school pushed her to choose to draw from within "the strength to figure out what you think of me is your own prerogative and what I think of me is my own prerogative."
From an early age, Jennifer discovered that the strength and tenacity she learned from her parents were allies that would serve her well in the years ahead. Source: Jennifer Reyes
Her own prerogative also led her to discovering the career she would later thrive in.
"To be perfectly honest with you, the reason I got into technology and Computer Science was to actually meet boys. I remember going to a lecture...in a whole lecture hall, there were only about two or three females. That's when I thought, I chose the right course! " she laughs, adding, "Lucky enough, I actually enjoyed the work."
[L] Jennifer as a Computer Science graduate; [R] Jennifer married Trevor, who is also in IT. Source: Jennifer Reyes
The future is female
Enjoying the work also meant that Jennifer looked at being female in the male-dominated STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industry as an asset rather than a liability.
"I don’t go into a meeting and think Oh I'm the only woman here! or How they would look at me? Any challenges I went through in my career, I took them like I still needed to further develop myself or it was not the right opportunity for me," she shares, adding, "[I think being a woman] is an asset because women in general bring a fresh perspective to any discussion. The way we think about solving a [problem] is completely different."
Looking at problem solving in a different way led to the beginnings of a tech company that addressed the shift in the oil and gas market.
"My role in the company I used to work for was to scout the globe for up-and-coming tech that would help the business of oil and gas. I saw a lot of gaps. I started talking with my husband, who is more techie than I am, about some of the challenges that we were facing and my thoughts on how we can make things better."
Looking at problem solving in a different way led to the beginnings of a tech company that addressed the shift in the oil and gas market. Source: Jennifer Reyes
Realising that the oil and gas industry was heading to a more automated and autonomous direction, Jennifer left her "comfy" corporate job to create , a predictive analytics company, in 2013 with her husband.
"What we do in VROC is machine-learning. It's in the same vein as machines talking to machines without any human interference. The sensors we put on machines will collate data. What we do is we identify when a particular equipment will fail and what the root causes are of those failures. It's a lot easier to handle a massive amount of data now."
Jennifer with the VROC team Source: Jennifer Reyes
Although the couple believed in their technology, they weren't sure if commercialising it was feasible. They were surprised when a government-owned Singaporean company signed on to be their first ever client.
While Jennifer was going through the rigors of operating a new business and handling a major client, she also became pregnant with her first child and was preparing for impending motherhood.
"I remember back then I was like Oh God, what else can you give me? I have so much on my plate! I don’t think I can handle this! But you know what? I got through it. I got through which I thought were probably the darkest and most exciting times [of my life]."
Jennifer, Trevor and their son Jacob Source: Jennifer Reyes
Nevertheless, she persisted
But things soon became even more challenging for Jennifer.
"When I started to get the hang of being a first-time mother and being a first-time entrepreneur...fast forward to late 2017, I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. I remember hearing the news from my oncologist and I remember going home and I said to my husband You know what? We need to look at this as business as usual," she shares, adding, "I went to work and I had a team meeting. I didn't want it to impact what we were doing."
Jennifer has also been doing her best for the disease not to impact her family who has allowed her to be "normal".
"Every decision I made was basically based on how it was going to impact my family, especially my my three-year old. I had to prepare myself for that kind of mindset. I didn't want the cancer to impact who I was."
Every decision Jennifer made was based on how it was going to impact her family, especially her three-year old son. Source: Jennifer Reyes
While others may have put their career on the back-burner, Jennifer continued to work hard, sharing that she only took time off every third Thursday and Friday for chemotherapy. She would then be up and about on the weekend to spend time with her husband and son.
"The only time that I was literally out of the office was when I had my double mastectomy. I think that was on my birthday in April. That was a nice way to spend a birthday," she jokes, adding, "I remember my friends and family telling me Relax. Take some time off. But in hindsight, I'm glad I didn’t because that contributed to my healing."
Today, healing continues for Jennifer who is currently on oral chemotherapy and injections.
Jennifer continues to persist in both life and work. Source: Jennifer Reyes
"I'm not in remission at the moment. It takes five years for a cancer patient to be classified cancer-free. The last scans I had though, there were no anomalies; so fingers crossed," she shares, adding, "For me, a struggle is not a lifetime of struggle. It's only a lifetime of struggle once you stop [moving forward]."
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