About Bela Gaytán

Fun Facts

I always bring my whole self to spaces. As such, I’d love for you to know more about me outside of my professional life.

I grew up in Southwestern Michigan and still hold up my hand to show which part of Michigan I am from. (If you’re a Michigander, you know what that means!) I live in Tennessee and have lived in New Mexico for a while. I am a nomad at heart, always thinking about the next place to call home and my next adventure.

• I have explored eight countries (one for less than 24 hours, but hey – I think that still counts) on three continents, eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, and one disputed territory surrounded by hidden land mines.
• I was chosen to participate in Grow With Google’s Developer Challenge and became one of the top performers chosen to continue with their Front End Developer program.  Google Developers even featured my story of perseverance on their blog!
• I am disabled, with several chronic and genetic conditions. Five of my conditions are rare disorders and I’m colorblind, as well, which is very rare for someone with 2 X chromosomes.  I have quantifiable proof that I am rare!
• My father was a migrant worker, and my mother’s family worked in the fields. My parents grew up working harder than most of us have ever had to work and for much less than we would ever accept.
• I’m a gamer! These days, I mostly play World of Warcraft (EU server) and Hearthstone (US server). My kids are gamers, too—especially my son. Our home is like an arcade with PS5, PS4, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S. My custom-built gaming computer is even named after one of my WoW characters. Feel free to add me to Battle.net to chat and/or play together: my tag is devibela#2920.