Member Spotlight: VP Projects Kanika Dutta
UW Blueprint is a student run club that provides top-tier tech for non-profit organizations. Founded at the University of Waterloo 2 years ago, we could not have provided strong partnerships with NPO’s without the dedication, passion, and time of our members. We’ll be spotlighting different members and teams. Some will be the returning members of Blueprint, having worked on several projects, and some will be new to the team as of a month ago, just starting their work with Blueprint.
What made you want to get involved with Blueprint?
I’ve always been interested in working with NGOs; i’ve worked with them in the past, and I spent a Summer in India working with one as well. I love technology, and I do think it can change the world — but, sometimes I talk to myself and wonder, what’s the point of working hard and getting an education, but not producing any actual good from it? I want to be able to leave a positive impact, big or small, and working with Blueprint is how I can work towards that.
What is your role as VP projects?
As VP Projects, I overlook our different projects, and make sure all the requirements of the project are being met. I support the project leads and designers by making sure they have all the resources they need, and I also go to one on one meetings with the organizations we’re working with. I also work with the E-Team to reach out to other organizations, to make sure at the end of the day, we have a sustainable amount of projects that match our brand.
What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the tech industry?
There’s so many good things about it, but I think one of the greatest things is that we bring our own authentic selves into the tech industry. To date, technology is a very untouched field by women, so it’s exciting to see where we can take this industry. It’s been getting better lately — we’re getting more women involved with tech, and the divide is getting smaller, but it’s still not up to the mark where men are in tech. So, it’s exciting to see what a group of women can create and bring together in technology, as our own experiences shape how we work in the industry. There’s a misconception that women don’t bring each other up, but women love supporting each other! So, leveraging that, learning about different women’s interests, and ideas, is so exciting.
How could the tech industry be more inclusive for women?
I think one step is, we need to stop highlighting and using phrases like, “this application was built by a woman,” or, “oh my gosh, look, a woman was able to do this!” Instead, I think we need to start marketing the actual work they did, and the obstacles they had to overcome. The fact that a woman did that task should be implicitly stated. I’m not saying don’t empower women, but nowadays, everyone wants to applaud women for doing regular things; which, in the long run, is worse for us. Just let us be, have confidence in us, and applaud our work instead of applauding the fact that we’re women.
Moving forward into the tech industry, what are your plans and goals for the future?
In the Fall, I’ll be working at Tesla as a Technical Program Manager! I’m excited to work on the hardware end of Product Management, which is something I haven’t gotten the chance to explore yet.
I definitely want to stay in tech, and continue working in Product Management, since I feel like there’s so much more I still have to learn. Later on in life, one of my major goals is to start my own NGO that focuses on younger girls who don’t have access to education.
