Machine Learning
Based on an episode with Alma Lopez 🇲🇽
Welcome to Latinx in Power, a podcast aiming to help to demystify tech, the way we do that is by interviewing Latinx and Caribbean leaders all over the world to hear their perspective and insights.
We talked with Alma Lopez. We met at a Latinas in Tech event, and we were part of the same panel on Electronic Arts. We both talked about our careers in product. Alma studied Computer Engineering, and she also has a master’s degree in Data Science.
In this episode we talked about how machine learning and cloud-based solutions can be a huge help in the fight against cancer. We also learned more about Alma’s journey, coming from Mexico as a computer engineer and transitioning to product owner.
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What does it mean to you to be a Latina?
It means to be proud, and it’s a huge responsibility, because we represent a culture based on strong family values. We have a long history. And for that reason, we are responsible to keep that alive.
We can start with the language. So, it’s funny you pay more attention to speak properly because you represent that culture. Cooking, you make sure you know how to cook the dishes as your grandmother does, cooking all the Mexican traditions with family, friends, even my coworkers.
So, being Latina allows me to be passionate. Latinas are famous throughout the world for being passionate. We love people, we welcome people, and we are happy. We love the community. So, we are kind of known for having a positive attitude.
As a mother I teach my kids to love two countries, the one in which they were born and the one from which they have blood. I like that I’m a Latina who could choose another place to live. I also take it as a power. I have two homes, one where I was born and raised, and the other where I choose to live and raise my family. At the same time, Mexico is always a big part of my heart. Being here in Silicon Valley and being Latina is very important, and I feel proud to be here. I think that’s the best word to describe what it’s like for me to be a Latina — proud.
How was your journey abroad?
I was raised and studied in Mexico, I had a good job there. My dream was learning technology and computer science, and working in Silicon Valley. In 1997, my company sent me for training in San Jose, California. I was out there and saw all the companies. At that time, it was Sony, Yahoo, Nortel Network, Cisco, and I was so excited. I went back to Mexico with the idea that I needed to work there (in Silicon Valley).
One of my best friends from school, followed the girl, and he ended up living here in the Bay Area. He was working for Silicon Graphics, so when I came to Silicon Valley for another training, I saw him, and he said, “Alma you should come.” This was in the bubble of 1998, and I was like, let me try. I contacted companies to try to get interviews from Mexico, I did the interviews, I got the offer letters. I said yes to one offer. It took nine months for my visa approval, so that was my first baby. It was a small consulting company, and every month they checked with me. Finally, we got the paperwork, I was able to move, so I gave notice to my previous job in Mexico.
My friend was right, but the news was that he was leaving the Bay Area. His girlfriend at that time, now wife, went back to Norway, and they were moving. He followed her here, and now he was following her to Norway. I was in the Bay Area without friends and family here, so my job was everything to me. I arrived in August of 1999 with two big suitcases, that’s all. I started working, it was so exciting for me and totally different.
What is your favorite thing about your career?
My favorite part of my career is to contribute my technical skills and experience to the fight against cancer. I have family members and friends that fought and are fighting against cancer, some of them are okay, some are not.
I love that we can provide tools to find appropriate treatments to fight this battle, so it will be easier to help researchers to make decisions in the development of drugs. We can help patients that way. My team and I are working to contribute in this field.
I also enjoyed working in Silicon Valley, where you had the opportunity to work with people from many other cultures. That makes it unique when you’re looking to solve a problem. In this case, how can you attack this problem to make the best solution? We have diverse and different perspectives. It’s unique when you have a multicultural team with different experiences and different backgrounds, but something that we have in common.
We have that sense that we are helping. Then we are making life easier for somebody, somebody that we might love, somebody who is not close to us, or a friend, or mine. I’m very motivated every time I talk about it to my colleagues. There is always somebody who knows somebody else who’s fighting this battle as well so that is very motivating.
What does the product owner do? What are your main responsibilities as a product owner?
I work with cross-functional teams. That means I work with engineers, data scientists, project managers, usability experts, designers, testers and product managers. We create a software application. In this case, I consider myself the bridge between the business requirements and the development team. My main purpose is to help my developers to understand the business needs.
My technical background allows me to understand the possible solutions to help to make things happen. I communicate as well with the stakeholders or the managers to make sure that we are implementing what they have in mind, what we have in the roadmap, and also based on their priority because they had the direct communications with the end user, the doctor, the researcher, or the patient, in this case.
I get the business requirements, what is the value, and I come with my team and explain it, and we try to make a solution. I’m in charge of explaining that, and also to make sure that everything is implemented on time, within budget, and with the right priority. Basically it requires being able to talk in the right technical language. My ability to understand why one thing could be difficult, what could be easier, allows me to challenge them and to get better and quicker results.
What’s the difference between the role of a Product Manager and a Product Owner?
This is a very interesting question because I think it also depends on the companies. Some people call the role product manager, some call it program manager, others call it technical product manager or product owner.
Basically, the Product Manager defines the roadmap for the product and has direct communication with the users and stakeholders. They are in charge of getting the money to fund the product. Our product owner is responsible for the backlog that is created with all the primary pieces of a requirement that the product manager wants and makes sure the requirements are implemented based on priority. The product owner also has access to stakeholders.
I always try to verify with my product manager that we are properly working with the right requirements, because they have a wider view and better idea about the product, having more contact with the end users. It’s important to make sure we’re doing the proper product, and we’re responsible to communicate this to the development team.
I worked with the product manager every single day, and also with the development team. I can see the impact of the implementation, and have to look for a solution. If we have a blocking issue, I’m the first one to communicate this to my product managers. Sometimes we cannot make progress because we are dependent on something from someone else, but instead we can swap it with another requirement that is not blocker, so a developer can continue working, and we utilize the budget.
This is an overview of what I do. I have one foot with the development team, and the other with the business team. It’s very challenging, but also very rewarding. Every single week I learn something new. Even though I’m not a doctor, a pathologist, nor a biologist, I have to learn some technical aspects to understand them. There are always interesting, new things to learn.
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue a career in tech?
There are so many fields, so many applications, or so many industries in which you can work in tech. My suggestion is to start early and join a company. You can join a bank or financial institution or a healthcare company. Don’t be afraid, do it, because it’ll allow you to experience different fields that you don’t know.
Right now, I have so many years of experience already, but I work with many different fields in very complex network implementations. I had worked with IT managers, data scientists, scientists, and developers. There’s so many applications that they can work on technology. My base suggestion is just get there, get involved, try it. If you don’t like it, you can look for the next opportunity.
Technology is everywhere, be curious. When you feel you’re making a difference, and somebody believes in you, you’ll feel that the salary is not important. As a consequence, you’ll have fun, and enjoy your work. It took me a long time to get where I am. I enjoyed my experiences, and everything that I learned before helps me a lot in what I’m doing right now.
If you’re in tech, get ready to continue learning because technology is changing so fast. There’s the data science path, how to handle databases and many other things. I love telecommunications, there are a lot of opportunities in the Bay Area, but there are so many places that we can work with technology. The pay is good, and it’s a good place to be. Also during this pandemic, the tech industry hasn’t been impacted that much. We can continue working as long as we have an internet connection and a computer.
I was pretty shy in the beginning of my career when I was studying and working. I had to develop the skills to talk to people and to be good at presentations. I think it is just taking advantage of your skills and also the ones that you think you are good at. You have to make an effort to improve. Take training, coaching and also, as I mentioned, do it. Don’t think about it, especially for us, the language I totally relate with. When I arrived in this country, oh my God, they didn’t understand me. So I got quiet, I didn’t ask questions. You need to practice, you have to do it. Don’t be afraid of that, go and do it.
What really makes you excited?
Something that makes me excited is the feeling of accomplishment. I remember as a kid, my parents had some expectations of me, and when I accomplished something that met their expectations, that feeling that they were proud of me was amazing. They were happy because of what I did, and that made reaching goals feel so good.
I relate these as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife, as a product owner engineer. I didn’t realize it, but I love to plan, even when we go for a vacation. I like to think about what to do, and also plan in detail. I like to have an idea of the plan. I won’t say let’s go to Disneyland by now. When I fulfill the plan, when I finish my little project, even cleaning the house, I feel so good. It’s that feeling of accomplishment that excites me to start the project.
Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear these phrases:
A song for a karaoke night
Timbiriche, it’s a band from the 80–90s in Mexico. I grew up with their songs, so I know all their songs. I can really sing them with feeling. Mexican people will relate to that.
Your superpower
Multitasking is very useful in motherhood. I can wash dishes and watch TV at the same time. I can listen to a song, and still kind of think of the solution to a problem. I can feed the baby and still listen to what’s going on tv.
A book
You’re Badass from Jen Sincero, which I read maybe three or four years ago. I was talking to my little sister last week about that book, which she hadn’t had the opportunity to read yet. Every single chapter of the book is to empower women. It’s about being grateful and loving yourself. Everybody has skills they need to develop, but the one that we have to do is to be good to ourselves. Love yourself, take time for you. I like that in every single chapter of the book, she wrote, love yourself. It’s a good thing to learn, I really like it, and it’s very empowering for women.
Last skill you learned
Meditation, even though I’ve been doing it for years. I can say the last five months I’ve been better at it. I really feel that I’m in a meditation mode. Before when I had one minute I used to think I had to do this and that. So it was really hard in the beginning. I tried, I tried in the last few months and I clicked.
Having kids can be challenging, and meditation is one of the few things that is my time. During this pandemic, I have been able to meditate for 15 minutes without even noticing it. I cannot say I have mastered it, but I can say, I really meditate now. I try to do it every single day, it is good for me, it calms me down, I even feel joy, because I know I love myself when I do this.
What motivates you to work hard?
My family always encourages me to do my best. In my early years in school, in activities that interested me, my family always supported me. When I was taking photography classes, martial arts or interested in computers, my dad was the first one to encourage me. At that time, a computer cost a lot of money, and I was so lucky to be able to do my homework and everything at home on my computer.
Nowadays, my husband and my kids are my big cheerleaders. It’s nice to be supported. For my personal growth, I went back to school three years ago to do my masters. My family and my kids always encouraged me, we also did homework together. When we graduated, I was lucky to graduate in 2019 not this year. I was able to go on a walk, get the ceremony, my kids were there. I will never forget their eyes and they were so proud of me. They’re the ones who motivate me to do my best, even when I’m sick and I don’t want to get out of bed. They give me energy and motivate me to work.
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things in your role?
It could be from basic things like reading articles to keep up with what is going on and developments in technology. It can involve watching videos regarding a new topic, and now, we have internet access to material, research papers, books, training materials from experts in the field. Believe me, researchers love to talk about their jobs. Check if your company offers professional growth training to develop the hard and soft skills and for continuous learning. Talk to people. You will be amazed at what they do and how much you learn and see the world in a different way.
Negotiation skills are definitely something extremely important in your profession. Do you have any tips for someone who is struggling or wants to improve their negotiation skills?
I think it’s communication. Communication is the one thing that you need to make a negotiation bearable and writing is also so important. Take the time to listen so you’ll understand people more, because when you negotiate with someone, you can understand what they want to tell you. When you try to communicate, it’s going to be challenging if you don’t take time to listen.
This is my proposal, be analytic, analyze the situation. When I try to sell an idea, I always have my plan A and my plan B. I’m always going with the plan that I want to get, of course. You give them options to make a decision, so it’s not your decision, but it also gives others the opportunity to feel empowered. This is not a my-way or the highway situation.
Listen, I think the biggest part of being able to offer the solution is listening. This to solutions, and in that way the other part, make a decision whether the solution. Now they can make another proposition, but at least works for me and is being to two options and pushing for the one that I really really want.
Something else that I learned from my mom is to always be nice and gentle. The way you ask is the way you receive. If I go into a discussion with all the attitude and demanding, they could be defensive, and believe me, you won’t receive what you seek. So this advice applies to lots of situations, always be nice. And always listen.
I remember when you go to situations just have a conversation with somebody you have empathy for. I was surprised by the result that I got. One time I was traveling, and there was a big issue at the airport in Mexico. It was crazy because they had something happen with the system. People were frustrated, people were, you can imagine, really complaining. When it was my turn to check in, there was a long line. I said to the person who was helping me, that’s okay, don’t worry, everything will be fine. I said, okay, this issue can happen in any airport, you know, it’s not just Mexico. Technical failures are everywhere, and he looked at me and said, thank you for understanding. By the way, you just got upgraded to first class. Thank you. I think kindness is really important, it’s a mindset that is not easy, but pays off.
I hope you enjoyed the podcast. We will have more interviews with amazing Latinx leaders every first Tuesday of the month. Check out our website Latinx In Power to hear more. Don’t forget to share comments and feedback, always with kindness. See you soon.
Additional Reading Mentioned in the Interview
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