Why is this on HN? Irrelevant, poorly written, lacks credibility.
Working hard and winning an unheard of competition? Yeah very fascinating.
Understand that anyone can rewrite their past to draw out a cock and bull story of succeeding against all odds. Want to hear mine? This is fairly banal. A narrative like this is best reserved for people who succeed in affecting something bigger than themselves or are at the very top of their profession.
You could probably create a Markov generator to create these stories. "I don't fit in, look at my talent! Let's talk women. She'd stand out in any decade!"
Snore.