Maria Tsvetkova

General Info

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen mentorship?

My strenghts include coaching, teaching, creating ideas and content, and helping others identify and overcome obstacles. I am skilled at building connections based on common values and I also excell at public speaking, presenting, creating infographics, and explaining complex ideas in simple words. I am smart, with deep understanding of math, programming and human psychology. I respect other's opinions, beliefs and cultures and can work and be friends with people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds. My superpower is being an open-minded positive intellectual, capable of learning fast and combining ideas from unrelated fields to create something totally new.

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. Learn how AI tools are developed, deployed and protected.
2. Learn tools for how to overcome women's leadership challenges.
3. Acquire tools for creating influence and driving change.

Mentorship Characteristic

• Visit an office or attend a site-visit
• Participate in a skills-building course, either provided by my mentor’s company or identify a free resource online
• Focus on leadership skills building
• Identify a short-term project I can work on at the partnering company
• Gets me involved in day-to-day activities of the mentor and partnering company.

Ideal Company Type

My ideal match is a seasoned tech professional or manager, good at managing multicultural teams across domains, open to sharing knowledge and able to help me identify my blind spots in leadership. I'd like to match with someone who balances critical and creative thinking, leads with purpose and is not afraid of challenges. My ideal mentor can communicate clearly and coach her subordinates, has big ideas and knows how to implement them. She is a go-getter, a high-achiever and eager to create impact.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Creative
2. Collaborative
3. Smart

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

I am working on developing my strategic and critical thinking, analysis skills that I intend to apply on the products I build. I also am researching the roles that will allow me to use my greatest strengths - building deep relationships, creating ideas, learning and inspiring. I could apply them in community management, culture change management or other relevant niches. I want to blend the human-centered approach into the corporate and tech world, but I need to know my blind spots. Thus, I am looking for some inspiration on how to lead, manage and create change in the world.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

I have a blog for women about financial literacy, tech careers, coaching and life fulfillment. I also organize events, conferences and lectures for the local communities. As a woman, I find that these communities from naturally from women. I dream of my country having good access to education for girls, unleashing their potential and making them strong, smart, brave, daring, resilient and free to make their own choices, to live better, safer and happier lives. I am already a mentor to teens, university students and young professionals, so my experience will naturally pass to the next generation of leaders.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

15

Primary Professional Focus

• Leader who is in charge of overseeing the delivery of technology products and processes
• Software engineer
• Technical product manager

Education History