Cohort Stories: Meet Emily
Boston: vol. 8, no. 26— guest post by Emily Flores
An obstacle I’ve faced throughout my journey to Hack.Diversity has been the lack of support and representation amongst people who are like me. Many times in my classes, I have been the only Hispanic woman and it’s been difficult to feel a sense of belonging. Throughout my studies, there have been times when I’ve questioned if I am capable of pursuing a career in technology, but luckily I’ve been able to find organizations and communities such as Hack.Diversity where there are peers who are going through similar journeys. Having a support system outside of school has kept me on track and it has been empowering to see other underrepresented students succeeding and making a change in society.
My interest in technology emerged from my participation in the Girls Who Code self-paced summer programs after graduating high school. Throughout this program, we were tasked with multiple projects such as Web development and areas of cybersecurity. I was able to find a community of like-minded peers who were stepping in and making a change in the field of technology.
After completing the projects, I was given the reassurance that I was capable of pursuing my studies in computer science and it gave me the determination to inspire other minority women to step out of their comfort zone.
My parents are the ones who motivate me every day to keep pushing through my studies and career in computer science. Growing up, I saw the struggles that they had to face and I remember seeing the smiles on their faces when I graduated high school as it was one of the first barriers that I broke down since they did not graduate from middle school. Therefore, it was difficult when I decided to attend college because I did not have people around me who were familiar with the process of applying and going to college, but I was able to advocate for myself and seek the necessary guidance that I needed to continue breaking down barriers.
Engage with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, our website — and support our work!
