Born in the Philippines, but raised in Noblesville, Indiana, Gayle’s interest in technology was sparked by her mother’s career as a programer. Her interest grew to passion after taking several programming classes in high school. “I loved the problem solving aspect of programming. There was always something new for me to learn.”

Pursuing her newly found passion, Gayle attended Butler University pursuing a degree in Computer Science. At school, she immersed herself in computing through the Association for Computing Machinery and took a job in the events office. “I learned how to deal with clients, learned planning skills, and was able to meet many prominent visitors,” said Gayle causing her to really plan ahead in her work.

Succeeding in school, Gayle participated as a summer Xtern working at T2 Systems on the parking software provider’s quality assurance (QA) team. During her internship, she learned to create QA automation and how to work on an agile team. After graduating a semester early, she took her experience from T2 System and brought it to Performance Assessment Network (PAN) as a Software Engineer.

At PAN, Gayle now uses her QA automation skills to automate test suites for one of the core applications of PAN and she has worked as Scrum Master for the 2017 Xterns! Gayle is excited about the future of her career knowing there is always something new to learn and something new to try.

TOP: GAYLE OCAMPO, HARRISON KIANG  |  LEFT & RIGHT: GAYLE OCAMPO  |  BOTTOM: ALEX CORREA, MATEUSZ KOSCIUK, TYLOR GARRETT, HANNA BENNETT, GAYLE OCAMPO, ASHLEY ZEGIESTOWSKY, IAN ANDREWS

What was your impression of Indianapolis prior to the fellowship?

Prior to the Indy Tech Fellowship, I was able to explore and learn more about Indianapolis due to going to Butler and being in the Xtern program. I liked the big-city feel without being in a super huge metropolis. I love the cultural districts all around the city — since they’re spread around, it’s a great way to explore the city.

What about the Tech Fellowship program appealed to you?

In my senior year of college, I knew I was going to work in tech, but I wasn’t sure where. After being in the Xtern program, the new Indy Tech Fellowship program was appealing because I really wanted the community environment. It was a great way to be friends with a group of people who were all experiencing the same thing. I graduated college a semester early and it was nice having others in the program who graduated early, as well.

Tell us about your 9-to-5 Tech Fellowship experience.

What skills (workplace, business or technical) have you learned?

Switching from a full-time academic to a full-time professional setting, I was a little nervous, but I learned that it wasn’t too different. I have since learned multiple roles in an agile team; I’ve been a software developer, an automation engineer, and a scrum master. From a business point of view, I’ve learned how product development and engineering work together to create and maintain a product throughout its entire lifecycle. From a technical perspective, I get to work with new technologies and learn new skills when we have our ‘Lunch and Learn’ meetings. I’m fortunate to be able to work at a company where I can explore my professional interests and work with people who are willing to teach me new skills.

What do you do outside of the 9-to-5?

Besides working, I enjoy baking anything and everything — I love making sweet treats! I also love attending concerts with my friends and discovering new places in Indy. I also enjoy hosting game nights with my friends. I think the community is another one of Indy’s advantages. The Indianapolis tech community is tight-knit.

What’s on your must-see and must-do lists?

If you’re in Indianapolis, I think the Indianapolis Museum of Art is a must see! The museum and the grounds are excellent! I’d also add the Children’s museum in that boat. Something to do would be visiting the multiple cultural districts around Indianapolis! There are fun little restaurants and shops throughout.

Where do you see yourself at the end of the fellowship?

At the end of the Indy Tech Fellowship, I hope to be a step closer to figuring out what I want to do for the rest of my career. There are so many careers available in technology and being in the Indy Tech Fellowship has helped me learn about them first hand. I also would like to give back to the community that has provided me with so much.

Learn more about the TechPointX talent programs.