“I remember the guys saying that my skirt would get in the way of my programming ability,”
Marie, a second-year Computer Science student, recalls her middle school and high school experiences.
“They said that often. None of them felt comfortable with the only girl in the room leading the Robotics Team. They’d ask me if my hormones were out of whack, things like that. That was my first taste of the tech industry.”
Today, Marie has worked in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing Outreach Department for over five years. Thinking of her Hispanic heritage, she says she draws her inspiration and passion from seeing other women of color in outreach and education. She assists in directing and designing curriculum for several on-campus technology workshops geared toward children, including those enrolled in the Atlanta Public School system. She also helps with the coordination of numerous STEM events hosted by Black Girls Code, Atlanta Science Festival, and Girl Scouts of America.
“I want to keep working with kids, and I don’t plan on stopping. I want to be in an executive position because I want girls to see a woman in charge in technology. I want to be a role model.”
“Kids think that if they aren’t good at math then they can’t make it in engineering or computer science. I want them to know that’s not true. I wasn’t very good at STEM. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to apply to Tech because I didn’t know if I could afford it, let alone get into the school. But I knew I wanted to enroll here eventually because Tech allows students to specialize in the fields they really want to pursue. When I didn’t get in, I went to Kennesaw State for a couple of years. I worked a job, and I co-oped. I applied as a transfer student, and here I am. This is my first semester.”
Marie says, “It’s definitely tough. The learning curve is steep. I think I missed out by not taking my intro classes here, and it’s difficult. It’s like: I got in, but should I be here? Maybe I just don’t know Tech culture well enough. I’ve never been to a school where asking for help was frowned upon. It’s almost like showing weakness if you do. I question what I want to do a lot. I easily could’ve gone into marketing or management, but I want to program. People here expect me to focus on User-Interface or People Medias because it’s design-oriented and I’m a woman. But I’m interested in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and human interaction with technology — all male-dominated fields.”
She reflects, “I want to make the industry a better place for women and people of color, and that starts with me. If I don’t keep going, the girls coming after me will come into an industry that hasn’t changed. I want them to know programing isn’t just what you see on TV. Programming can be used in everything and it can be anything — music, clothes, games. I want them to know it’s not about how good you are at STEM. It’s about building that confidence. And that’s what I want to do.”
She offers the following advice to others in her position:
“Find the outsiders. Find people who are different. Get to know their stories, and get to be friends with them. When you develop a diverse perspective, you see yourself doing things. When you see people going against the status quo and succeeding, you can imagine that success for yourself, too.