Google Developer Experts (GDEs) are tech enthusiasts from around the world who are skilled in Google technologies, actively sharing their knowledge in talks, workshops and online content. Road to GDE, geared toward developers from historically underrepresented groups in tech, supports participants on their path to becoming GDEs. The three-month program pairs them with mentors — current GDEs — to learn new content development strategies and prepare for the GDE application and interview process.

The Road to GDE program launched in 2021 with 58 mentors and mentees. At the beginning of 2022, it had grown to 140 people — 70 mentors and 70 prospective GDEs — from around the world.

“We heard so much positive feedback about Road to GDE from both mentors and mentees that we decided to scale it up,” says Pati Jurek, a program manager for Road to GDE. “It was amazing to see how it sparked connections among people in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, all working toward a shared goal to become Google Developer Experts.”

Sharing knowledge with the community

Kensy Ayala from Honduras taught a workshop at the Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC) Latin America conference and regularly gives talks to Google Developer Groups about technologies like Angular and Firebase. She joined Road to GDE to get new content ideas and walked away with a reaffirmed passion for teaching others to code: “I love software development, and I love Angular, and I feel more inspired than ever to share that knowledge.”

Ezekias Bokove from the Republic of Benin joined “to become part of a community of passionate and experienced people” and improve his content production skills. “Thanks to the program, the quality of my content has improved significantly,” he says.

Road to GDE also helps mentees connect with even more communities. “Through this program, I was able to reach more developers around the world,” says Ahmed Tikiwa from South Africa. “I started giving virtual talks to audiences in France, Croatia, Norway, Germany and the U.S. My network has grown tremendously.”

Supporting prospective GDEs

The mentors behind Road to GDE play a key role in the program, and their mentees’ success.

Dart and Flutter GDE Anna Leushchenko from Ukraine helped her mentee build up their confidence and learn more about the GDE program and application process: “My mentee applied for the GDE program before the Road to GDE program ended,” says Anna. “I was so happy to learn they’ve already successfully passed the first step!”

After completing the Road to GDE program, which included mentoring sessions with Debbie O’Brien, Dominika Zajac from Poland became a Web Technologies GDE. “Debbie helped me improve my articles, lectures and social media content,” says Dominika. “With her guidance, I also understood the application process better and gained the confidence to pursue my path as a GDE.”

Join us on the Road to GDE

Interested in the Road to GDE program? Applications are now open for the next cohort, happening August 31 to December 1. Apply by July 22!

Growing up, mathematics was not one of Jade Lee’s favorite subjects. “I was absolutely terrible at it!” she says. “But when I got older, I recognized there are very few of us who are naturally good at mathematics.” With time and effort her skills improved, so much so that today she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics at the London School of Economics. There, she also volunteers her time as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and Google Developer Student Club Lead.

While she enjoys math much more than when she was younger, Jade still believes that it is a “ruthless subject.” Since there is typically a right or wrong answer, it’s not uncommon to make mistakes or experience failure. And since Jade was often one of the only women in her classes, she was anxious about making these mistakes in front of her classmates, and felt she generally lacked the confidence of her male counterparts. “For me, there was always a doubtful feeling at the back of my head that I didn’t belong there or that I was only fooling myself to continue down this route,” she says.

But when she joined the Women Techmakers Ambassador program last year, two big things started to shift for her. First, she says, she was inspired by the “beautiful community of women around the world pursuing technology.” She saw the power of having women role models and a supportive community in a male-dominated industry, and quickly took the initiative to build this community herself — including hosting events that brought more than 500 female students together to become more involved in STEM and learn about technological careers across industries.

Through sharing experiences and challenges with other women in the field, she felt less alone. She also started to see that being one of the only women could also mean new opportunities: “You are breaking new ground, setting new expectations and changing the industry bit by bit for the better,” she says.

After becoming an Ambassador, she also started to develop a new relationship with failure. Bolstered by the support of her community, she started to feel her confidence grow, which helped her speak up more. And instead of being afraid to get something wrong, she recognized she was actually learning a lot more from her mistakes than her successes. “Those who grow and develop as STEM students are those who embrace those failures, learn from their mistakes and reflect on their experiences,” she says. “Failure gives us an opportunity to learn, be challenged and thrive.”

Jade is excited about her future, and wants to continue pushing towards gender equity in STEM. Her advice to other women looking to break into the industry: “Embrace the challenge, learn from the difficulties and be grateful for the experiences you’ve had.”

Subscribe to the Women Techmakers YouTube channelso you don’t miss out on future Ambassador Spotlight videos and more

Growing up, mathematics was not one of Jade Lee’s favorite subjects. “I was absolutely terrible at it!” she says. “But when I got older, I recognized there are very few of us who are naturally good at mathematics.” With time and effort her skills improved, so much so that today she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics at the London School of Economics. There, she also volunteers her time as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and Google Developer Student Club Lead.

While she enjoys math much more than when she was younger, Jade still believes that it is a “ruthless subject.” Since there is typically a right or wrong answer, it’s not uncommon to make mistakes or experience failure. And since Jade was often one of the only women in her classes, she was anxious about making these mistakes in front of her classmates, and felt she generally lacked the confidence of her male counterparts. “For me, there was always a doubtful feeling at the back of my head that I didn’t belong there or that I was only fooling myself to continue down this route,” she says.

But when she joined the Women Techmakers Ambassador program last year, two big things started to shift for her. First, she says, she was inspired by the “beautiful community of women around the world pursuing technology.” She saw the power of having women role models and a supportive community in a male-dominated industry, and quickly took the initiative to build this community herself — including hosting events that brought more than 500 female students together to become more involved in STEM and learn about technological careers across industries.

Through sharing experiences and challenges with other women in the field, she felt less alone. She also started to see that being one of the only women could also mean new opportunities: “You are breaking new ground, setting new expectations and changing the industry bit by bit for the better,” she says.

After becoming an Ambassador, she also started to develop a new relationship with failure. Bolstered by the support of her community, she started to feel her confidence grow, which helped her speak up more. And instead of being afraid to get something wrong, she recognized she was actually learning a lot more from her mistakes than her successes. “Those who grow and develop as STEM students are those who embrace those failures, learn from their mistakes and reflect on their experiences,” she says. “Failure gives us an opportunity to learn, be challenged and thrive.”

Jade is excited about her future, and wants to continue pushing towards gender equity in STEM. Her advice to other women looking to break into the industry: “Embrace the challenge, learn from the difficulties and be grateful for the experiences you’ve had.”

Subscribe to the Women Techmakers YouTube channelso you don’t miss out on future Ambassador Spotlight videos and more

Growing up, mathematics was not one of Jade Lee’s favorite subjects. “I was absolutely terrible at it!” she says. “But when I got older, I recognized there are very few of us who are naturally good at mathematics.” With time and effort her skills improved, so much so that today she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics at the London School of Economics. There, she also volunteers her time as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and Google Developer Student Club Lead.

While she enjoys math much more than when she was younger, Jade still believes that it is a “ruthless subject.” Since there is typically a right or wrong answer, it’s not uncommon to make mistakes or experience failure. And since Jade was often one of the only women in her classes, she was anxious about making these mistakes in front of her classmates, and felt she generally lacked the confidence of her male counterparts. “For me, there was always a doubtful feeling at the back of my head that I didn’t belong there or that I was only fooling myself to continue down this route,” she says.

But when she joined the Women Techmakers Ambassador program last year, two big things started to shift for her. First, she says, she was inspired by the “beautiful community of women around the world pursuing technology.” She saw the power of having women role models and a supportive community in a male-dominated industry, and quickly took the initiative to build this community herself — including hosting events that brought more than 500 female students together to become more involved in STEM and learn about technological careers across industries.

Through sharing experiences and challenges with other women in the field, she felt less alone. She also started to see that being one of the only women could also mean new opportunities: “You are breaking new ground, setting new expectations and changing the industry bit by bit for the better,” she says.

After becoming an Ambassador, she also started to develop a new relationship with failure. Bolstered by the support of her community, she started to feel her confidence grow, which helped her speak up more. And instead of being afraid to get something wrong, she recognized she was actually learning a lot more from her mistakes than her successes. “Those who grow and develop as STEM students are those who embrace those failures, learn from their mistakes and reflect on their experiences,” she says. “Failure gives us an opportunity to learn, be challenged and thrive.”

Jade is excited about her future, and wants to continue pushing towards gender equity in STEM. Her advice to other women looking to break into the industry: “Embrace the challenge, learn from the difficulties and be grateful for the experiences you’ve had.”

Subscribe to the Women Techmakers YouTube channelso you don’t miss out on future Ambassador Spotlight videos and more