Hello world! My name is Joana Palero, I’m 27, and I currently live in Massachusetts.
I am originally from the beautiful island of Saipan. Saipan is an island in the Pacific or in the Northern Mariana Islands which is roughly north of Guam. Saipan is part of a U.S. territory where we speak English and use the U.S. dollar currency.
This is a resort in Saipan called Pacific Islands Club
A lot of people also ask me why I moved over to the infamous winter driven New England?! A lot of New Englanders dislike the snow. I love the snow but dislike the cold. It is pretty bittersweet but it is something a lot of people take for granted when they live elsewhere. There are seasons in Mass that an islander will not experience unless they visit the United States. I enjoy the fall and winter seasons because of the colors changing constantly.
Other than enjoying the season change, I moved to Massachusetts to be with my partner (girlfriend) whom I currently live with now. I also wanted to pursue my graduate degree and gain some technological experience along the way.
My partner and I met online and evidently this was around when the TV show “Catfish” just came out. It was ironic because we were drawn to each other without knowing it at first. We had doubts about whether or not we were real people or whether it is worth the time to get to know someone who is halfway across the world.
We got to know each other and eventually decided to take it to the next level. In the summer of 2013, I traveled to Massachusetts for the first time and it was also my first time traveling outside the Pacific region. It was a bit scary trying to find my way throughout the airport and exhausting because my whole trip to Massachusetts involved using 4 planes and traveling for 30 + hours. The time difference was also a killer because Saipan is 15 hours ahead of Massachusetts.
Before I came to visit my partner, we would always Skype and fall asleep on the same time zone on the weekends so my body would get used to the time change. It was funny at first but it helped me while I visited her. It felt like I was traveling back in time which was funny because everyone on Saipan was telling me that I will be jet lagged from the long journey. At the end of the trip, I finally made it to Massachusetts all excited and anxious to meet the love of my life for the first time. The tension did not last because my partner ended up getting stuck in traffic for about 2 hours before she was able to pick me up. Luckily, the airport had free Wifi and I was able to communicate with her while I waited.
Finally meeting my partner after a 2 hour wait was a dream come true. At first it was a bit awkward because her best friend was in the car with her so I did not hug and kiss her for the first time. When we finally made it to her parent’s house, I was able to embrace her without any awkwardness. Just to fast forward this story, over two years later we now live together and it was definitely worth the wait.
We are finally living our lives together and working on our careers. I currently work for the Information Systems department as an Analyst at a non-profit company. My partner works in the public school system as a paraprofessional. We live our life by trying our best to stay healthy together. Although we’ve only had our house for a few months, it’s been a big adjustment. We’ve learned to make it work while trying to get ready for work and work on our other interests.
I love listening to music! Occasionally, I also DJ during family gatherings, I play video games on my PS4 (my favorite game is Overwatch– check it out), and I like doing the yard on the weekends.
I enjoy learning about new technology and interesting enough, I used to work for the IT department while I was working on my Masters and have since been promoted so I do not work on any technical issues anymore. I do miss the daily grind of working on urgent issues that end users have but I also enjoy manipulating data, creating reports, and creating apps.
I hope I did not bore you to death. I wanted to give you a preview of whom I am and where I came from. My main purpose of creating this account is to talk about one thing that others think is rare; women in technology. For all the women who are passionate of working in the technology field, I commend you for putting yourself out there.
Growing up, I have always been passionate about technology. My mom would tell me about the days where I would take something apart like a radio and put it back together. I was born in the age where dialup internet was the fastest speed you can get. The internet has grown so much since I was a child and I was ready to learn more about how it influences the World Wide Web and technology around us.
I left Saipan in 2015 after I received my Bachelor’s degree. The only thing that set me back was the lack of resources on the island I grew up in. They did not give me the opportunity to pursue my interests so I eventually left and established myself elsewhere. It was a difficult journey to get to where I am now. I overcame many biases and negative comments about moving off island. I have grown to be more confident and positive around the people I meet every day.
It is always a humbling moment when you’ve realized all the struggles you had to overcome to get to this point in life. We all have the power to be whoever we want to be. We all have the potential to do better in this world by making a difference in anyone’s life. A difference can be anything from a small gesture such as shoveling snow for an older neighbor or opening the door for a stranger. We can all work together to make this world a better place. I hope you enjoyed my introduction and thank you for your time. Stay tuned for more posts related to technology, life, and other things that I’ve overcome and how it will help you too.
