The third post in our series “RR Uncovered” is to meet Rivelin’s recently hired Junior Software Developer, Sofia Alatorre.

I am Sofia Alatorre, transgender woman and Junior Software Developer at Rivelin Robotics. I spent my first thirteen years moving around Mexico, then my next eleven years in the US. Four of these years were spent in California in Silicon Valley, where I became a Software Developer. In November 2020 I moved to the UK and now live and work full time in Sheffield.

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I started my programming journey when I took a class on Java in my High School in Washington DC. I quickly learned I have an aptitude and passion for it and have been pursuing it since then! In 2016 I discovered a university called “42” was opening a campus in Silicon Valley and decided to apply for it via a month long application boot-camp. I was one of around sixty people that were accepted into the first generation of this avant-garde programming university! I went on to study there for two ears, leading into a two year internship in Silicon Valley. My internship focused on front-end web-design, where I designed a platform for technicians to manage their audio-based machine learning models.

Ever since I was little I’ve had a passion for music, fantasy and maths. I’ve played the piano since I was 5 years old and performed my first recitals with music I composed when I was 11. In High School I picked up a passion for fantasy and especially Dungeons and Dragons, for which I’ve been a Dungeon Master since I was 14. It wasn’t until I began my gender transition one year ago that I discovered my most recent passion for climbing! Now comfortable in my own body, I got hooked on the climbing opportunities present in Sheffield, and go to the bouldering gym three times a week! I am looking forward to exploring the Peak District with my work mates this Spring and Summer.

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During the pandemic, my life was thrown off course and I began to consider coming to the UK to be closer to my siblings, and with the Brexit door about to close the UK as an option, decided to take the leap. It has been the second best decision of my life (the first being my transition), and I find myself at a truly great stage of my life. Shortly after arriving in Sheffield my brother contacted me to ask me if I’d be interested in doing a trial week at Rivelin, and after my trial week went well I landed an internship here, and have recently been hired as a Junior Software Developer. I work at a company I love, do a sport I love, with new friends I love, and in a body I am truly happy in.

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