Enterprise Architect, Senior Product OwnerMozidoAustin, TexasPrincipal SpeakerBlind AmbitionAustin, TexasWhen Patricia Walsh first interviewed for a computer programming internship at Microsoft in 2004, they didn’t know she was blind. “I purposely kept it pretty close to the chest,” she said. “Once I was in, I proved myself capable, and my blindness was a nonissue.”
Walsh went to work for Microsoft two weeks after graduation. Her achievements included reducing code redundancy and implementing innovative ad products for MSN Video, Windows Live, and Silverlight. She earned a Gold Star when she found a coding issue that was costing the company $40,000 per month.In 2011, she earned a master’s in executive nonprofit leadership from Seattle University and wrote a book called Blind Ambition: How to Envision Your Limitless Potential. She gave a TEDx talk and has been a featured motivational speaker for the Society of Women Engineers, Microsoft, and other organizations. She loves influencing other women, including women with disabilities, to get involved in engineering.
When Walsh began running at age 19, she had no idea that would mark the beginning of her career as a stellar athlete. “I just wanted some healthier habits,” she said. Today, she is the world record holder for blind and low-vision Ironman distance, holds seven international gold medals, and is a five-time national champion, triathlon athlete of the year, and USA representative for the 2016 Paralympics.As an enterprise architect at Mozido, Walsh advocates for technology standards as the organization grows its global reach.
Degrees
- B.S. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006