At my high school in Israel, everyone had to choose a specialization in biosciences, languages, or mathematics. I chose math because it was my field of interest, as well as a good start for a possible future career. In most of my classes, there were two or three other girls and more than thirty boys. We studied trigonometry, algebra, geometry, and more.

When I was eighteen, I entered the Army for the required two years of service. There I learned more English. I was selected for the officer's course and soon became an officer. This meant I was put in charge of people, some of them older than myself, when I was only eighteen and a half.

After the Army I continued my education. I was interested in both computer science and architecture, so I studied architecture for one semester at the Technion in Haifa, followed by a semester of computer science at the University of Tel Aviv. Although I still enjoyed both disciplines, I chose computer science. In the fall, I returned to Tel Aviv and began to study for a bachelor of science degree. I felt I would rather be a software engineer, because the work gives me lots of problem-solving and clear feedback when I do a good job.

After graduation, I worked for a year in the software division of an insurance company, writing data processing programs in COBOL.