MEET OUR WITTY WOMEN: ANGE
This past academic year, we worked with 12 female-identifying students to develop a technical solution for the non-profit organizations Urban Institute and Child Care Aware of America. We are so proud of our fellows 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 Ange Louis. Ange is a 3rd-year student at City College (CUNY), studying computer science.
Why did you join the wit project?
I joined the WIT project because I love everything that the organization stands for. I completely stand for getting more women, especially women of color, in the tech space so the program already caught my eye. What really sold me was the mission of using the technical skills I would have learned to help a non-profit organization. It made me feel good that by joining this program I would not only be improving my technical skills and aiding in the problem of diversity in the tech space, but also helping these organizations whose passions lie in serving communities.
How has the WIT project compared to work you’ve done in school?
The funny thing is the work I've done at the wit project doesn't compare to anything I have done in school. All the work I have done in school follows a curriculum where the goal is to teach you the skills/coursework you need to pass the class. No doubt, the work is important, but it doesn't relate to the work you will be doing in your job. The wit project was the first time I was learning skills that I can use in a career in tech.
What kind of skills did you learn while being at The WIT Project?
At the wit project, I learned skills related to working with back-end technologies. For my project, I learned how to make a database, write rest APIs to communicate/populate the tables in the database, and find ways to visualize that data. Other than the technical skills, I learned how to work in a team and get insight into how teams function in the real world.
What has been your favorite part about the volunteership experience? What have you learned from the wit project?
My favorite part of the volunteership experience was working with my team. It was great knowing that I had such a strong support system to turn to when I was dealing with tasks. It was such a great environment to work and laugh in, but most importantly, to collaborate in. One of the lessons I learned in the wit project is to never be afraid to advocate for myself whether it was in being open about not knowing how to do something or being vulnerable with my team on how I was feeling. That just speaks to how great of an environment it was to be in.
Why is it important to have more women working in tech?
It's important to have more women working in tech because it opens doors and changes the mindset of the young women/girls who are afraid of entering this field. The tech space is a very male-dominated space, and it can be nerve-wracking being the only woman in a room full of men. I know I don't have the confidence and I'm jealous of any woman that does. When we see more women in this space it's comforting and builds the confidence to speak up for yourself, your work, and others. We need a diverse set of minds to make problem-solving more efficient and that's what having more women in tech does.
What are your goals for the next year? Where do you want to be in 5 years?
One of my goals is to get an internship for the summer and during my semester. I don't have anything particular in mind, but I do prefer working in the back-end. I also want to expand my technical skills like learning more programming languages and brushing up on the ones I do know. In five years, I will have graduated college with my B.E. in computer engineering. I will be working in the tech space. I don’t know which field, but I hope I love my job. I hope that would have gained enough experience to gain a team leader role. Lastly, I would have investigated going back to school for an MBA.
Who’s a #badass technologist you look up to?
One technologist I look up to is Mary Jackson who was NASA’s first black female engineer. She overcame so many challenges in regard to her race and gender and paved the women for so many future black female aerospace engineers. Her will to succeed in her field was unwavering and that is why I look up to her.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I can drink water fast. I can drink almost 80 oz. of water in under 2 minutes.