The Other Side

From a Shack to Silicon Valley

By: Martha Niño Rodriguez

Narrated by: Martha Niño Rodriguez

Martha Niño Rodriguez is part of the only ~2 percent of underserved professionals in the Silicon Valley Technology industry. She hopes with this book others see they too can be in industries they never thought were for them. That we consider careers that are not typical in our families and we break cycles of what was to what could be. Her stories are the truth and have served as lessons to understand “The Other Side”. The Other Side–the side that is unspoken.

The Other Side–the side that is tabu. The Other Side–the child’s side. She is a Mexican-born; the United States “adopted” immigrant. She was smuggled across the border as a child and given to a stranger in hope of a better life. She was undocumented, lived-in poverty, and got kicked out of school and despite those and many other obstacles in her life–for over 25 years she has been thriving in the competitive Silicon Valley Tech industry. She didn’t do it alone. It took believers who were patient and showed her how to get there. We need more believers. She hopes that with this book, you see the value in coming from different, that others see value in underserved backgrounds and that doors with opportunities are opened a little wider so those coming from different feel more comfortable coming in. She hopes her story gives hope.

©2022 Martha Niño Rodriguez (P)2022 Martha Niño Rodriguez

Great listen!

Growing up in South Texas, our childhood stories were unique in the sense of our Mexican traditions intertwining with our American lives. Those stories exists mainly in our memories since we lacked the resources to document them via recording devices. Martha did a great job documenting her California stories. My heart cried when she talked about her parents. The lesson from her book is one that I cherish wholeheartedly, Opportunity. An opportunity granted can go a long way in changing the entire dynamics of a person's life and those surrounding that person. Thank you Martha for taking the leap of faith and documenting your story.