We're absolutely thrilled to be celebrating two incredible wāhine at RUSH: Xinyi Guo and Rikka Ly, both finalists in the Women in ICT Awards (WIICT)!

This recognition continues the momentum from last year when Yujin Kim won the Rising Star Award and Sophie Tregonning was recognised as a Technical Award Finalist.

Fresh Perspectives from New Talent

As a recent graduate, Rikka brings a unique lens to technical challenges and her energy is infectious.

Graduates always seem to bring a degree of optimism and curiosity into any workplace. In tech we're always anticipating the next big thing, and a fresh graduate's perspective can help support a growth mindset approach that can be needed to take the leaps to get there. Rikka brings the energy, and the industry leaders bring the direction.

When asked what surprised her most about working in tech after university, Rikka said she didn't expect how much her work and opinions would be valued in building our projects, and how grateful she is to have room to learn and experiment.

Navigating Tech as Women

Charting a path in a traditionally male-dominated industry requires resilience. When asked about her approach to navigating the tech industry Xinyi's advice was to choose growth over comfort.

Her commitment to visibility extends beyond her own career. She participates in women in tech industry events because she believes the ripple effect of representation matters.

This mindset shift transformed her approach to work. "I used to code quietly and wait to be asked. I thought if I just kept my head down and did good work, that would be enough. But over time, I realised that visibility matters. It was about impact, influence, and growth. Now, I speak up early. I ask questions. I offer my opinions in refining meetings, even if I'm not 100% sure."

Leadership Through Empowerment

Xinyi's growth at RUSH has taught her valuable lessons about what true leadership means – When she was a junior dev, she thought leadership meant being the smartest person in the room—the one who could solve problems the fastest or write the cleanest code… But now she knows that leadership is when you help others solve problems without solving them for them… Now, instead of rushing to implement her 'ideal' design, she debates trade-offs, documents decisions, and aligns on goals as a whole team. The final design was a compromise—not perfect by her standards—but everyone buys in, and implementation goes faster with fewer surprises. That experience taught her that shared ownership matters.

"Leadership is a mindset, not a milestone. You don't need a title to lead. You become one when you act like it consistently. The best developers often lead by example—through thoughtful code reviews, clear documentation, or by stepping in to support teammates. Influence is built through trust, consistency, and empathy, not command."

A Culture That Nurtures Growth

For Rikka, RUSH's support has been instrumental in this critical early stage of her career – "The biggest support that RUSH has offered me was by giving me a chance… RUSH saw the value in my work and in me as a person, and through doing that has given me the best career start I could've asked for… There have been other ways they supported me like giving me solo projects, offering opportunities to expand my skillset, and putting me forward for things (like the WIICT Awards!)."

Building on Last Year's Success

Xinyi and Rikka's achievements build on the momentum created by last year's WIICTA winners and finalists from RUSH.

In 2024, Yujin Kim won the Rising Star award, with judges praising her remarkable developer skills and strong dedication to learning. Her work ethic, characterised by a growth mindset and constant pursuit of professional development, set her apart in this competitive category.

Following her win, Yujin shared: "Looking back to when I joined RUSH, I've grown up so much. I’m full of appreciation that I was able to grow here." She attributed her success to the supportive environment at RUSH.

That same year, Sophie Tregonning was recognised as a finalist in the Technical category, acknowledging her excellence in engineering expertise and deep domain knowledge in technology products, solutions, and services. She described the experience as "an honour" and "a sense of accomplishment."

Making Better Happen

As Xinyi and Rikka prepare for the WIICTA Awards, they represent not just their own remarkable achievements, but RUSH's ongoing commitment to fostering an environment where wāhine in technology can truly excel.