Passion in the Profession: A Panel Discussion on Making an Impact with a Career in Tech

Mar 29, 2022, 10:00 – 11:00 PM

Interested in a career in tech but have a passion for social justice and want to work for causes close to your heart? You CAN do both. Bringing your passions to a career in tech is possible. Join our panel discussion to learn how with mentors from our partners at the Turing School for a fun, informal, engaging conversation.

About this event

Having a job in tech isn't just programming things on the backend and looking at data. There are so many opportunities to have a career that combines your love for computer engineering and the desire to make an impact for social justice causes that are important to you. This engaging event brings together tech professionals who are active change agents in their communities to share their career journey. This panel discussion will explore unique opportunities and best practices to bring together your passions and a career in tech, either in the work or acting as an empowered employee who knows their worth. 

Panelists

Linda Le - Linda is a highly motivated, empathetic, and conscientious developer with a background in Higher Education and marketing. After working in a variety of positions at the University of Denver, including communications, program coordination and community relations, Linda enrolled at Turing in 2019. After graduation, Linda joined their staff as a Software Developer Fellow which gave her the opportunity to gain more experience coding in Ruby on Rails. Linda secured her first full-time position after Turing at Equal Opportunity Schools - combining her experience pre-Turing. Now, Linda is a Software Developer at Handshake and works to give people the chance to build the career they want, no matter where they're from or what school they attend. Working with diverse groups of people across many industries has taught her the importance of incorporating different perspectives in delivering effective results..

Aurora ZiobrowskiBefore beginning a career in software development, Aurora was an educator for 8 years as a Teach for America corps member, an elementary school teacher, and finally, as an assistant principal. Throughout her time in education, she was exposed to coding, loved it, and decided to attend Turing School to learn more. After graduating from Turing School in early 2018, Aurora started a role as a software engineer at a consultancy, working for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Currently, she works as a software developer at vote.org and enjoys working to advance democracy and equal access for all. Throughout her experiences, she has come to truly believe that working in technology has unlimited potential to change the world. In her free time, Aurora enjoys cheesy TV shows, knitting, and playing all kinds of games.

Kaitlyn Van Gorkom: After nearly 10 years in K-12 mathematics and computer science education, Kaitlyn took a leap to pursue a new career in software development by enrolling in a part-time bootcamp at Nashville Software School. After realizing her heart was still in the classroom, she began searching for a way to combine her software development skills with her dedication to high-quality instruction. Kaitlyn currently works at Turing School as their Onboarding Instructor. She is passionate about helping people tap into their own unrealized potential. When she's not teaching people to code (or coding herself), she loves to salsa dance and spend time with the people she loves outdoors.

Mehreen ButtMehreen Butt is the Program Manager and Co-Founder of Culturally Tech, a Nashville-based nonprofit working to dramatically increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in the tech industry through immersive and experiential programming. She has over 8 years of education experience, working in both traditional public and charter schools throughout the South. She previously served as an AP CSP teacher and Dean of Instruction for Science and CS at RePublic High School. In 2020, she helped lead the school’s AP CSP program to its highest exam passage rate, with more than 75 underrepresented students achieving scores of 3 or higher. Mehreen has also served as an instructor with Kode With Klossy and was recognized as a 2021 Cognizant Innovation in Computer Science Education Award winner. Culturally Tech received the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year at the 13th Annual Nashville Technology Awards and is a 2021 Meet The Moment grantee through the Vela Education Fund.

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 29
Time: 6:00p - 7:00p ET / 3:00p - 4:00p PT

Class Cost: FREE!
Throughout the month of March, we are offering introductory courses for free in order to share tech classes and experiences with more women+. Come see what GDI is all about and how you can change your future with a career and community in tech!

Want More from GDI? GDI offers a variety of ways you can join our community! Whether you are brand new to tech or want to advance the experience you've already racked up, we have something for you. When you join as a member, you develop your own pathway to develop code, confidence, and community. If you just want to get your feet wet or want a personal coach to land your dream job, GDI has memberships to match your interest, availability, and budget. Learn more here.

Code of Conduct:
Girl Develop It is focused on providing opportunities for women and non-binary individuals to learn web and software development, but our classes and events are open to all genders and identities. We are dedicated to providing a welcoming and comfortable environment for all to learn to code and every attendee is expected to uphold our Code of Conduct (http://www.https://girldevelopit.com/code-of-conduct/).

Explore GDI Memberships

Want More from GDI? GDI offers a variety of ways you can join our community! Whether you are brand new to tech or want to advance the experience you've already racked up, we have something for you. When you join as a member, you develop your own pathway to develop code, confidence, and community. If you just want to get your feet wet or want a personal coach to land your dream job, GDI has memberships to match your interest, availability, and budget. Learn more here. Code of Conduct: Girl Develop It is focused on providing opportunities for women and non-binary individuals to learn web and software development, but our classes and events are open to all genders and identities. We are dedicated to providing a welcoming and comfortable environment for all to learn to code and every attendee is expected to uphold our Code of Conduct (http://www.https://girldevelopit.com/code-of-conduct/).

When

When

Tuesday, March 29, 2022
10:00 PM – 11:00 PM UTC

Organizers

  • Katie Franco

    Girl Develop It

    Executive Director

  • Katie Brydon (she/her)

    Girl Develop It

    Community Director

  • Alex Vaughn

    Coordinator

Partner

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Turing School of Software and Design

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