Sassy Rebellion Week 6 - Preparing for Real Talk
Mirror, Mirror: Preparing for Real Talk
The next day, Nahla woke up early to create the outline for the AI workshop before starting her workday. As a Project Management Team Lead for TechYaRight, Nahla leads a small team focused on designing AI tools for educators. Although most SWIT members are familiar with or work on AI-related projects, she wanted to return to the basics for the workshop, focusing on the pros and cons of using AI to improve productivity.
Nahla understands that AI is a controversial topic, even within the tech industry, and aims to help women navigate its use in their daily lives.
Danica approached Nahla after work, asking to meet at Diversi-tea Café to discuss the nomination and to apologize for going behind her back. Nahla agreed, intending to inform Danica that she would withdraw from the board president nomination but remain open to serving as a board member.
During their meeting, Danica expressed concerns about Naquayla and her crew sabotaging the community spirit that SWIT had when she originally joined. She compared their behavior to that of tech bros in tech spaces, highlighting the toxicity of a male-dominated profession. Danica emphasized that SWIT was intended to be a safe space for women to come together, support each other, and fight for equal rights in the field. She outlined the challenges women face in tech:
Danica feared that without significant changes, SWIT might have to be dismantled. She believed the board needed a major shake-up. Just as she finished her rant, Naquayla and Claire arrived at the café, immediately spotting them. Naquayla remarked, “Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. If it was a betting woman, I would bet that you are trying to stage a coup, Danica. This little stunt that you pulled by nominating this nobody to the board and to become board president is not going to go the way you think it is.” She boasted that she had already secured enough votes for Claire to win and stated their plan to merge SWIT with the Swaggyville Tech Dudes to eliminate these gendered spaces for women.
Turning to Nahla, Naquayla declared that she’d never be president and questioned who Nahla thought she was, suggesting she was bypassing many to reach the top. Nahla was deeply upset by Naquayla’s confrontation, feeling attacked despite not having signed up for the nomination.
Danica apologized again, but Nahla expressed her belief that she could lead the group and restore it to a safe space for women in tech. However, upon returning home, Nahla was too upset and distracted by the encounter with Naquayla to focus on finalizing the workshop details. She was disheartened that, in 2025, some women still believed in meritocracy while perpetuating the same toxic stereotypes as tech bros.
In the week leading up to the AI workshop, Nahla received texts and DMs from some SWIT members relaying Naquayla and her crew’s attempts to tarnish her reputation. They criticized the committee she led, accused her of trying to stage a coup, and claimed she wanted to take SWIT in a direction that would set it back 30 years. Naquayla and her allies even spread falsehoods that jeopardized Nahla’s job. Her boss reassured her of Nahla’s work ethic but insisted she resolve the SWIT issues to prevent drama from spilling into her daily work life—especially since TechYaRight is one of SWIT’s platinum sponsors and many of her female colleagues are members.
Frustrated by the unwanted drama, Nahla focused on the upcoming AI workshop. She anticipated around 30 sign-ups but ended up with 75 registrations due to the surrounding rumors and drama.
Despite her uncertainties about joining the SWIT leadership team, Nahla decided that if SWIT members wanted a show during the AI workshop, she would provide just that.
What will Nahla say during the AI workshop? Find out next week in Breaking the Ice: Real Conversations Begin.
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