Dezbah Hatathli

Indigenous representation in STEM

Several years ago, Dezbah Hatathli's mother was killed in a preventable car accident when her vehicle slid on an icy road in northern Arizona during Thanksgiving weekend.

Now, she has chosen a career where she hopes to prevent that kind of tragedy.

Hatathli works as a test driver for Waymo, the self-driving car project from Google, which tests vehicles in metro Phoenix.

Preventing accidents — most of which are caused by human error, not mechanical problems with cars — is one of the primary reasons Waymo is developing self-driving cars.

Dezbah Hatathli is originally from the Navajo Nation and now resides in Gilbert, Arizona. She studied Anthropology with Native American Studies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Her work experience is vast and varied, and has previously held positions as an Archaeologist, Crime Scene Specialist and PD/FD/EMS Dispatcher prior to coming to Waymo as a Vehicle Operations Specialist. Her hobbies include Native American beadworking, sewing, traditional pow wow dancing, traveling and enjoying time with her 7-year old son

Grace Pollock

sources:

https://medium.com/women-of-silicon-valley/just-18-awesome-native-folks-in-stem-134211ff14cd

Dezbah Hatathli

Indigenous representation in STEM

Sources