We're thrilled to share the news that Keiana Hanson is joining Resend.
Today, we're excited to share that Keiana Hanson is joining the team.
Keiana is based in Long Island, NY, and previously worked in customer success at Clerk and Plaid. She got her start helping patients navigate follow-up care, then brought that same focus to supporting developers. We're excited to have her help our growing customer base.
How did you get into software?
Before I got into tech, I worked in healthcare, helping patients with follow-up care after they visited the emergency room or urgent care. I loved helping patients make appointments with their doctors, finding clinics in the area if they didn’t have insurance, or helping them find a specialist that was in-network for them, but after doing that for 4 years, I felt like I hit a ceiling. When talking about this with my family, my dad suggested I try to get into coding since I was the designated “IT person” in the family and I was always helping everyone with any of their technical issues.
With his suggestion in mind, I came across a non-profit called Women Who Code, and they had a chapter that was based in NYC. I went to some meetups they hosted to speak with other women in tech to get a sense of the field, and after a few meetups, I decided to do a full-stack coding bootcamp with Columbia University. Unfortunately for me, this happened at the height of the pandemic shutdown in 2020 while I was also still working full-time in healthcare, but I pushed myself, and after 6 months I graduated from the bootcamp and landed my first job as a Developer Support Engineer at Plaid in 2021.
To this day, completing the coding bootcamp is one of the hardest things I’ve accomplished in my adult life, but I’m forever grateful for taking that chance on myself and for everyone who rooted for me along the way.
What does your desktop/home screen look like?
I actually like the default wallpapers that dynamically change depending on the time of day that Mac offers, so I usually have a nature or geometric shape. I also am constantly deleting and organizing files because I love my desktop clean 🙇🏽♀️
Why are you at Resend?
I’m at Resend because I was at a point in my career where I wanted to work for a company that aligned with me as a person, and I feel like Resend is the perfect fit. The culture at Resend encompasses and nourishes creativity, compassion, and curiosity, and I’m very much looking forward to growing as a Customer Success engineer here.
Where do you find #inspiration?
My family. Both of my parents immigrated to the USA, and they both worked their way up in their respective fields to directorial positions. They have been amazing examples to my sister and me that the only person who can get in the way of your dreams is you.
If you weren't operating, what would you be doing?
I would craft and build props for the many cosplay ideas that live in my head.
Favorite tool?
Warp terminal
Favorite hotkey?
Cmd + K
Favorite place to visit?
Jamaica 🇯🇲🌺
My dad is from Kingston, and I've been all over the island over the course of my life, and I never get tired of the weather, the people, or the food.
Advice for ambitious software engineers?
Just because you may not have a computer science degree or you took the time to teach yourself how to code doesn’t mean you’re any less of an engineer. Coming from a non-traditional path into tech, I’m constantly reminding myself that I deserve to be here in this industry, and I’m always learning more every day about how to be a better engineer.