SLI Events
How do issues of race and racism, gender and sexism, and social justice show up in
the tech world? What do diversity and tech have to do with each other? Where is there
room for growth, change, and different possibilities?
Join us in this workshop series as we invite guests from outside Foothill to engage with us in discussion about these and related issues. Diversity in Tech is a program of TechCore.
Fall 2020 + Winter 2021
Careers and Pathways in Computer Science
November 13, 2020
What does it look like to have a job in tech or computer science? Panelists share their roles in different sectors in the tech industry and their paths to getting into those roles.
Panelists:
Chidinma Kalu, independent UX researcher and designer
Dennis Domingo, technical architect at Slack
Anthony Hernandez, senior technical product manager at Amazon
Using Tech for Social Justice
January 29, 2021
Technology can be used to address social issues. Jonathan Garcia, from Hack the Hood, speaks about how technology can be used specifically to address problems in Black, Latinx, and indigenous communities.
Women of Color in Tech and Storytelling
March 5, 2021
Storytelling is power. Hearing from women of color who have been historically underrepresented and marginalized in STEM and especially the tech world is important for recognition and empowerment. Panelists share their experiences and paths to where they are.
Charlene Chambliss, Primer.ai
Sylmarie Dávila-Montero, ECE Michigan State Univ
Carolina Huaranca Mendoza, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Spring 2021
My First Tech Internship
April 30, 2021
2pm - 3:30pm
What was your first tech internship like? What went well? What were the challenges? How did your marginalized identities impact your experience? Panelists share their "first tech experience" and engage participants in discussion about the fears and worries of going into an internship as a newbie.
Panelists:
Ebonne Cabarrus, a Customer Success Intern at athenahealth who spent the last three years cultivating
a passion for using technology to solve real-world problems. After studying Applied
Computer Science at Make School, she worked as an intern for companies such as Planet
Labs and Major League Hacking. Ebonne's goal is to become a leader in the technology
industry to create opportunities for diverse talent.
Melisa Im, software development engineer at Adobe. Melisa Im had an unconventional path to software engineering. She is a child of Korean
immigrants who moved to Argentina in the 70s and her family moved to the US in 2003.
In 2014 she graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Political Economy and worked
in content moderation before deciding to learn how to code. After attending a coding
bootcamp sponsored by the Adobe Digital Academy she started her career in software
engineering at Adobe in 2018. Today she mentors, speaks, and advocates for diversity,
equity and inclusion in all spaces.
Anthony Williams, co-founder at Clap. Anthony got his B.S. in Computer Science from the Cal State Long Beach and spent 4 years as
an iOS Engineer at Slack before recently starting his own software company.
Tech for Social Good
May 28, 2021
11am - 12:30pm
Getting a job in a tech company isn't just about sitting in front of a computer, another cog in the wheel. There are opportunities to make an impact, both in the job as well as outside the workplace. Panelists will speak about the opportunities they have had to use tech for social good.
Panelists:
Jason Serafica, instructional associate at General Assembly. Jason Serafica (they/them) is a full-stack software engineer, a community organizer,
and an unapologetic advocate for under-represented communities in Tech. They have
helped thousands of Bay Area residents learn web development and coding fundamentals
at weekly meet-ups and on online study groups as a co-organizer for freeCodeCamp San
Francisco. Jason has also volunteered as a mentor and is currently on the leadership
team member for Out In Tech's youth mentorship program and has spoken on topics relating
to diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech.
Marilenis Lee, was born and raised in Venezuela, Marilenis moved to the US in 1999 to pursue graduate
studies at Cal State East Bay. After graduating, she joined Leapfrog Enterprises as
a software engineer, where she programmed interactive books for the LeapPad, which
sold millions of copies worldwide. Marilenis has also worked in higher education as
an Academic Technologies Specialist at Stanford University and as a Computer Science
Professor at different universities in the Bay Area. She is currently working at Google
as a Data Analytics and Metrics Lead. When she is not coding or learning a new technology,
Marilenis enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
Frances Coronel is a software engineer specializing in UI development on the Customer Acquisition
Team at Slack where her mission is to make your working life simpler, more pleasant,
and more productive. She has been working professionally as a developer since 2015
and holds a Bachelors in Computer Science from Hampton University and a Masters in
Computer Science from Cornell Tech. Outside of Slack, Frances is an Executive Director
of Techqueria, a nonprofit that serves the largest global community of Latinx professionals
in tech. She also supports Coro Northern California as a board member, Code Nation
as a member of their Bay Area Leadership Council and the Latino Community Foundation
as a member of their Latinos in Tech Giving Circle.
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Questions?
I'm Here to Help!
Sophia Kim, SLI Director
650.949.7455
Bldg 4400, Office 4408