Get to know the Elastic Community series: Meet Giovana do Nascimento

Giovana do Nascimento Pena is a full-stack application developer at IBM. She graduated with a degree in systems analysis and development from UNASP University and a postgraduate degree in DevOps from PUC Minas Gerais. Giovana is certified in Developer Profession - Level 2 Experienced and IBM Cloud. She's part of the Black Girls Institute, one of the leaders of TLC, and IBM's internal technical community. She was awarded as a Bronze Contributor in 2022 and is the Elastic Community Organizer for the São Paulo user group.

When did you first embrace Elastic as a technology?

I got to know Elastic in mid-2019 at a meetup, where they talked about observability. I was always interested in exploring topics I had never seen before. In fact, this is a tip I give to everyone: explore new things, be curious to learn about different technologies and see whether or not they can be applied in everyday life. After that, I had the opportunity to participate in an APM workshop and fell in love with Elastic's technologies, and I am always exploring the topics.

Why did you decide to become a community organizer?

Firstly for passion: I am passionate about tech communities. Second, I always wanted to make an impact on people's lives. Belonging to a community, you have the opportunity to grow, learn, build a network, and, mostly, get to know yourself. These are pillars that I believe in and that changed my life and can change the lives of other people too.

What is your most memorable moment from being part of the Elastic community? 

There were several, but without a doubt seeing my former Elastic mentor watch my presentation with admiration was something fantastic. That impacted me in many ways. This is something that I reflect on a lot, and seeing many exchanges end up occurring in the community, it's like a never-ending chain of impact we have on each other. 

Why did you decide to join the Elastic Contributor Program? What were the most significant benefits you reaped from it?

I joined the Elastic Contributor Program after being invited by a few Elasticians because each of them saw my passion and engagement with the community. This made me see the importance of giving back to the community, especially in a post-pandemic world, to bring visibility to Brazil and become a reference in the world when it comes to tech communities. I had training opportunities through Elastic, visibility, gifts like everyone else, and especially technical support, making me stand out in my field.

What are your favorite things about the Elastic community?

I believe it's about finding a safe place to share knowledge. No matter how you help, you will impact other people, and that's wonderful. I learned a lot and gained seniority thanks to the community. The networking and engagement I gained in my career also far exceeded my expectations. For me, the pillars I love most about the community are knowledge, engagement, and especially people.

What does it mean to you to be a woman in tech?

I admit that it is quite a challenge, the weight and effort of my actions, but I know the importance of taking on projects, leadership, and becoming an inspiration for other women in the area. We often forget the impact we have in tech and the importance and power that women in these roles can have. I feel honored to be where I am today, and I know that in the future this will have a global impact on an entire society.

Any final thoughts you'd like to share?

I wanted to reinforce a message about the importance of communities. Thanks to them, I have a career in tech. However, I know that not all places have the privilege of having communities within their regions, so I would like to challenge everyone reading this post to try to encourage the creation and engagement of communities in the cities where they live. This impacts many professionals and unfortunately, we're still lacking in that. Engaging in a community could be the next step toward a successful career journey.