MEET OUR WITTY WOMEN: AMALIA

This past academic year, we worked with a cohort of 7 female-identifying students to develop a technical solution for the non-profit organization YearUp! We are so proud of our first cohort and all the work they accomplished, and for the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring these amazing students here on our blog.

This week we are featuring 19-year-old Amalia Torres. Amalia is a rising sophomore at Queens College where she’s studying Computer Science. She’s our last witty woman to be featured, and we are so excited for you to learn a little bit about her through this post.

Why did you join the wit project? 

I joined The WIT Project because I liked The WIT Project’s mission to help nonprofits. I had previously only used my computer science skills to build websites at hackathons and for school-related projects. The WIT project gave me the opportunity to learn and grow while working with other women!

What has been your favorite part about the volunteer experience? What have you learned from the wit project? 

My favorite part about the experience has been meeting everyone in The WIT Project. I got to work alongside amazing women and they went from being my coworkers to my friends. Working with other students taught me that I was not the only one who had questions. I learned to admit when I didn't understand something and I learned to ask questions.

Why is it important to have more women working in tech? 

It's important to have more women in tech because right now, there are few women in tech. This makes it harder for girls and young women to envision themselves in tech in the future. Having more women in tech would encourage future generations to pursue a job in tech. This would be one of the steps to bringing more diversity into tech as well.

What are your goals for the next year? Where do you want to be in 5 years? 

Next year I hope to have a technical internship so I can continue learning. In 5 years I would want to be working in a tech company that would allow me to grow as a developer and as a person. I would like to work at a company that would allow me to move between departments and teams. I like meeting new people and moving around so having a job that is as flexible as I am would be nice.

Who’s a #badass technologist you look up to?

A technologist I look up to is Susan M. Gordon. Sue Gordon was the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2017-19. Sue Gordon is a woman who has overcome so many obstacles and challenges in her life because she was a female in technology, but nothing has stopped her from becoming the woman she is today.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself! 

I am Mexican and I love visiting Mexico. My grandparents are from the state of Oaxaca and they speak the indigenous language Mixteco. Although I do not speak the language, it is fascinating to learn about my cultural heritage :)