The last time we “got to know a SegPay employee” we met Jessica from our QA team. It was so much fun we thought we’d profile another one of SegPay’s QA Engineers, Zhanna Garcia. Zhanna joined SegPay in early 2017 and has made an immediate impact. We thought you’d enjoy her story.
What is your professional background?
I’ve worked in QA for about 7 years. My degree is in Elementary Education, although I’ve never had a teaching job. During college I actually worked as a blackjack dealer, and I still did that for a while after graduation. I’ve also worked on a cruise ship – which is how I came to the US originally – and sold life insurance.
Where did you grow up?
Yalta, which most people know for the Yalta conference at the end of World War II. Most people probably do not know that Yalta is also a breathtakingly beautiful place.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I have a high pain tolerance. Not that I can’t feel pain, just that I can tough my way through most things over long periods. It takes a lot before I’ll reach for a pain reliever. 🙂
What do you enjoy most about your job?
When it’s nice and quiet after a product release because our clients are sending positive feedback about the new functionality rather than finding bugs. 🙂
How about the company – what is your favorite part of working at SegPay?
I’ve been here almost year now, and am as happy as I’ve ever been professionally. The company-wide communication is excellent. Prior to working here, I was in a couple of environments where people didn’t really talk to each other. There were many things I enjoyed at those places, but SegPay is such a collaborative and interactive environment, which I find very rewarding and conducive to team success.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
That’s a tough one. I have all the tools I need to succeed, and our Dev and QA teams are really helpful and easy to work with. It can be challenging to keep up with all the new QA automation solutions out there, but I think we have a pretty good one now. Otherwise, my biggest challenge is probably planning my ideal travel schedule given that I’m still relatively new here with not enough vacation time. Hope my boss isn’t reading this. 🙂
So you like to travel?
Yes, I travel as much as possible, even short road trips. I believe life is about the journey, not the destination, and I try to live that way.
Favorite place you’ve ever traveled and why?
I have three: Aspen, Colorado, because I partook in just about every winter-themed activity you can imagine in an impossibly beautiful place. Speaking of winter, Alaska is amazing – the magnificence of glaciers, sunsets at 11pm and flying over fiords. Finally, Burning Man, because of the creativity and sense of community. It’s a beautiful experience, even in a dusty, somewhat rough environment. Burning Man was on my “bucket list” for a long time and now I’ve gone twice!
Oh really? What else is on the bucket list?
It’s a pretty long list, but here are a few:
- The Grand Canyon
- The Manta resort underwater room
- The Kakslauttanen resort in Finland, supposedly one of the best places to see the northern lights.
Any recent books, movies or TV shows you can recommend?
The book itself isn’t recent but I just read Into Thin Air, about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, and highly recommend it. Incidentally, climbing Everest is on my bucket list.
Tell us someone you admire and why?
The architect Zaha Hadid. I was never into architecture but her style captivated me. It’s unique, and she created new techniques that some said wouldn’t work. She died young, at 65, but lives on through her buildings, which are all over the world.
