Akilah joined SOPHiA GENETICS four years ago, ready to make the move into tech, an industry she’d been drawn to for a long time. Our mission to improve care for cancer patients touched her personally, because cancer has deeply affected her family. Today she’s the Office Manager in our Boston office.

When asked what surprised her most when she joined SOPHiA, Akilah said it was the people. From her first day, colleagues were kind and personable and made her feel very welcome. “People are here for each other… people are here to help. And that’s an environment that I feel like everybody should be in.”

Akilah has also grown a lot in her role. In a job where you’re always thinking about doing the right thing and how your decisions will affect people, she admits it’s easy to second-guess yourself. Over time she has built real confidence. She knows her job “like the back of my hand,” and the best part is that everyone around her trusts her to do it. Her advice to others is to be fearless: “Don’t be afraid to try new things, to teach people new things, bring ideas that you simply never thought of before.”

Our shared purpose is what keeps her motivated. Talking with her coworkers reminds her that everyone is working toward the same cause, and that each person contributes in their own way. “At the end of the day, all of this work combined gets to that one common goal.”

Akilah’s journey is a reminder that confidence grows with experience, and that every role helps move the mission forward.

🎥 Meet Akilah and hear more about her journey in our latest Our Talents, Our DNA video.