My Journey Is…

Marwa Thabet, IBM Z Ambassador

Marwa is a PhD student in computer science at ISITCom (Tunisia), with a research focus on cloud computing. She is currently a Z Ambassador and Mendeley advisor. She co-organized several events to spread the word about mainframes technology to Tunisian youth and she was an active member of GirlsInAI2021 in Tunisia. She likes learning about new innovative technologies to enhance problem solving.

What is your role as a Z Ambassador?

I'm the voice of ideas representing IBM Z in my community, especially in my faculty, and in my country Tunisia, by being active on campus to get the word out about IBM Z skills and technologies to students. I encourage them to take advantage of the Z ambassadors program, to actively participate in the IBM Z Global Student Hub community, and to hear from IBM Z experts. We also invite experts to present through workshops and in the events that IBM Z creates for students. 

Very cool. And what inspired you to join the Z ambassador program?

I didn’t know about the Z Ambassador program before, but was familiar with the mainframe as a technology. I heard about the program from Melissa, the chief of student and entrepreneur experience at IBM Z through our webinars. 

What got you interested in technology? Were you always curious about it from an early age? 

When I was 16, my teacher of computer science made me very obsessed with technology, and how you can solve problems with it. So this inspired me and made me very curious about this domain. I saw how we interact with technology in our daily lives and how it can enhance our quality of life and I wanted to be a part in making that happen.

So cool how you got involved at 16 and now you're pursuing a PhD in it. Can you tell us a little bit about some of the challenges or highlights during your time as a Z ambassador?

There are many opportunities related to mainframes and IBM Z technology. Most of us were introverted and shy at first to speak in public. However, IBM Z was always there to support and encourage us to overcome our limitations. I think that it was a great experience too, especially to be more involved with volunteering work and doing speaking engagements in front of the public.

That's amazing. You started off maybe shy and introverted, but through this experience you were able to be more confident in your voice and your platform.

I have been involved with many other opportunities after this one, but being a Z Ambassador was the best experience for me. I got to interact with students like me passionate about technology and exchange ideas and knowledge with peers and learn from them.

What were some of the resources that helped you succeed in this program? 

As a student, I always check out YouTube - I find out all the new things about tech and all the experts are on there.

Also, IBMZ offers us resources and access to experts, and that was very good. And then for the technical side, I recommend going through the MTM learning system and the mainframe courses on Coursera. There are also 2 free learning journeys offered for students like us to enhance their technical knowledge in the world of Z. The journeys introduce the Z application developer journey and the Z systems administrator journey.

Being a Z Ambassador means you’ll be the first to know about opportunities offered by IBM Z. I want to invite students to join the IBM Global Student Hub because you will find all the resources and opportunities there: http://ibm.biz/studenthub 

What kind of advice do you have for young people who are interested in the program?

Don’t hesitate to apply! You can apply today like me at https://yourbigyear.com/z-ambassador-powered-by-ibm 

Many people ask me, should I apply? Yes, you should apply because you will learn so much. I will also say, do your best because your hard work will be recognized, and never say no to opportunities by IBM Z. I was shy when I started, and missed out on a lot of opportunities that I later regretted. So it’s always a good thing to participate more and don't be shy to share your crazy ideas with IBM. They will help you make it into a reality.