"Every day, I belong here more."

Before their paths crossed ours, they were already on an incredible journey. The alumni and participants at Blue Road Academy have countless stories. Stories full of strength, perseverance, and hope — stories that deserve to be told.

This time, we are happy to share the story of Dana Zandaki, a young graduate who finally created a home for herself in the Netherlands.

The very next day after she passed the Salesforce Administrator exam, Dana Zandaki earned herself a job offer. The journey that led her to her first Salesforce job was not an easy one, but it paid off: She finally found a place where she belongs. 

Without a home

Seven years ago, the young graduate had no choice but to leave her home country. It was right after she graduated from Damascus University when her life drastically changed. She studied English Literature, a field she did not completely choose freely but nevertheless enjoyed. The moment she graduated, she had exactly one week to plan her departure from Syria. There was not enough time to say all her goodbyes, but this would have been her only chance to leave. Dana had to go. Her month-long journey to the Netherlands was difficult and dangerous, with little sleep, lots of waiting, and constant worrying. "I felt so bad on my way to Europe. Can you imagine how my family must have felt? Sometimes we didn’t have contact for days. What if something had happened to me?" Not knowing it would take her seven long years to be reunited with her family, she focused on another loved one. In Amsterdam, after almost two years of separation, she was finally reunited with her boyfriend. 

Their first years in the Netherlands were unpredictable. Living in camps, she mainly focused on learning Dutch. Her boyfriend became her husband, and when he introduced her to Salesforce, it sparked her interest and marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life. Dana devoted herself to making the ecosystem her own, absorbing as much knowledge as she could. "I was very motivated to learn Salesforce. I believe learning empowers me. You get into something, and you just keep going and going, learning more and more. Before you know it, time flies!"

After four years of being in the Netherlands, Dana joined one of the very first programs of Blue Road Academy and she finally took her first steps in the Salesforce ecosystem. Even though the organization and the program were still in their early stages, she loved everything about it: the skills she learned, the possibilities it provided, and how devoted everybody on the team was. "It was all very new. The whole program was new. There was no office, no board, no success stories, and no good examples. But I loved it!" It truly was a leap of faith, by everybody involved. In the summer of 2019, Dana graduated from the program.

Putting down roots

After finishing, her life changed rapidly. It has already been three years since she landed her first job in the Salesforce ecosystem. At Digiphi, she found a family. In the small company, she gets the chance to develop and grow. She loves how there’s space to connect and how everybody’s looking out for each other. The atmosphere at Digiphi is exactly what she needs. Right now, it has been a few years since she first entered the Dutch labor market, and she can only be proud of the life she has created for herself. "Every day I feel like I belong here more and more. I really feel like I am putting down my roots here. I believe home is not where you were born; it is where you can be free."

She envisions a future here, together with her husband, in the Netherlands. She absolutely loves working at Digiphi and is excited to grow within the organization. At Digiphi, she has the opportunity to explore the field of Salesforce and discover her own talents and interests. Dana anchored herself in the world of Salesforce, and over the last few years, she has acquired six certifications. Recently, she earned herself a permanent position as a Senior Salesforce Consultant at Digiphi. Her future is wide open, and for now, she just wants to be happy and enjoy her life. 

Last summer, she was finally able to travel again to Syria and see her family for the first time in years. The wrinkles in her dad's face made it painfully visible how much time has passed. It was very emotional to see them again. It was the first time she was apart from her family, and hopefully this will also be the longest time. From now on, she strives to see them every year. Something she finally managed to make a possibility. 

Strengthening the community

She believes that now is the time to pay it forward. She strives to take what Blue Road Academy and Salesforce have taught her and give it back to other women who are struggling to find their place. By sharing her experiences, she hopes to empower and inspire women so they can find their place in the world and live their lives to the fullest - "By sharing our stories, we strengthen each other."