The violin-playing, army truck-driving, solutions architect

5 mins 5 mins

Alice Silva

I grew up very poor in the favelas (slums) of Brazil. I started learning violin in a project aimed at helping poor children get out of the streets. Back then, I would walk for an hour each way to the music conservatory because I didn’t have a quarter to pay for the bus. Even then I refused to let any obstacle stand in my way. My journey to where I am today is a testament to that.

The biggest obstacle I conquered, with the help of my family and friends, was coming to the United States when I was 20 years old. My mother, my biggest female role model, raffled a bicycle so we could purchase the flight ticket for me to move to the US to pursue a higher education in music.

To this day, people still ask me if I came to the US alone and they are shocked to hear the answer. And any immigrant can attest to the hardships that comes with moving to a new country by themselves.

My time in the US as an international student wasn’t easy either. I wasn’t allowed to work, and there was very little I could do on a student visa. Right before completing my master's degree, I heard of a program that was accepting immigrants to join the military under certain conditions and as a fast-track path to citizenship. I didn’t think twice before enlisting. As an Army soldier and a non-citizen, I was only allowed low confidentiality jobs. I chose to become a truck driver because I love driving and it was the shortest training, so I could come back to playing the violin faster.

With my truck before a mission

After the Army bootcamp I quickly became a citizen and a whole world of opportunities were revealed for me. The Army was another place that toughened my skin and where I had to quickly get used to being one of the few women in the room.

My transition from Army truck driver and violinist to tech professional came through networking. Growing up, I had very little access to technology. I didn’t own a laptop until I was over 21 years old. But I found that music teaches a lot of the things needed for someone to become a good programmer. It has a language, it uses mathematics, it’s highly collaborative, and you must be open to criticism.

At Ally steps with my solutions architect team and recruiter

After the pandemic, I realized that I couldn’t count exclusively on the performing arts to make a living. My passion for continuous learning, combined with the prospective financial outlook and in the interest in helping to support my family back in Brazil, made the pursuit of a career in tech a no-brainer.

In the summer of 2022, I took an intensive bootcamp course to become full stack developer. That led me to get my first job as a Data Engineer. I have now transitioned to becoming a Solutions Architect for Ally Financial through the Brooksource consulting company. As a Solutions Architect I am learning and working on implementing AWS cloud resources which will culminate in a full spectrum project using Generative AI. AI is one of my newfound passions, and I am hoping to become an AWS certified AI practitioner here in the next couple of months.

Playing one of my post-graduate recitals

Outside of my full-time job in tech, I perform in different ensembles. I am especially proud to be a part of Charlotte Strings Collective, where I work alongside incredible musicians and friends promoting the music of Black composers through both performance and education. Alongside showcasing string music by contemporary artists, we also shine a spotlight on historical composers whose talents were overlooked and underappreciated due to racism.

You can check out a video of me in action here

Alice Silva
Solutions Architect, Ally Financial (Brooksource Consultant), USA

Connect with Alice via LinkedIn

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