Bellevue’s Microsoft Technology Center was the backdrop for the official launch of the #LatinaGeeks Seattle Chapter on Saturday, November 17, 2018. The chapter opened with a Latinas Learn to Code and Rose workshop that included networking and had 55 Latina women registered. #LatinaGeeks founders, Tanya Salcido and Lala Castro, flew all the way from California to support the event and to celebrate 1-year anniversary of #LatinaGeeks workshops.
The event included two instructors from Microsoft and 13 volunteers (one from Oracle, one from the community and 11 from Microsoft) who were at the Microsoft Technology Center bright and early on a Saturday morning, and who warmly welcomed the women and helped them feel at home. The delicious breakfast was generously donated by the team of Cindy Healy from Microsoft’s WW Learning, lunch was sponsored by Microsoft and the wine was provided by Angry Orchard.
The event sold out super-fast with a waitlist of approximately 150 women who are interested in learning to code. This chapter is already preparing programming that will begin as soon as February, so stay tuned!
The hands-on workshop exposed the new Latina geeks to the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and concepts on Computer Science, taught by a team of two Chileans: Gonzalo Middleton, a Computer Scientist with 24 years of experience in the tech industry, and Luz Maria Pasini, an Industrial Engineer turned Software Engineer, who is also the President of the #LatinaGeeks Seattle Chapter.
During breakfast, lunch and the networking part of the event, the women chatted and discovered kindred spirits in other Latina women interested in tech, and in advancing their education towards coding. Some were already talking about creating a MeetUp group to connect after the workshop. That would be wonderful!
The Program Manager of the LEAP program at Microsoft, Yolanda Natal-Santos presented the program to the women, so now they have more knowledge of avenues to join the tech industry. Cindy Healy, the Business Operations and Program Manager of WW Learning Experiences Team at Microsoft also talked to the women to explain to them other resources that the industry has available to them.
The Chevrolet team also supported the launch of the #LatinaGeeks Seattle Chapter with a gorgeous 2019 Traverse. Of course the vehicle matched our geeky personality with its tech features: hands-free liftgate, smart slide seating, 4G Wi-Fi, 8-inch diagonal color touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and so much more. The spacious SUV, included a hidden storage that allowed us to transport our event banners, balloons, and luggage. The Traverse is such a smooth ride and made getting to and from the hands-on workshop very enjoyable. Take a look at offerings for the midsize SUV online.
The coding workshop was a success and it made a big splash on social media with a variety of comments, such as the following:
Learning how to code and meeting other amazing latinas in #Seattle thanks to @LatinaGeeks and @Microsoft #LatinaGeeks #LatinaGeeks #Microsoft
— Leticia Huelamo (@Leticia_Huelamo) November 17, 2018
Thank you @LatinaGeeks for hosting today’s Latinas Learn to Code workshop! I’m super excited to be learning HTML, CSS, & JavaScript! #LatinaGeeks #Microsoft #MicrosoftLatinx pic.twitter.com/CpjrGHcuS0
— Brittney Rodriguez (@brittrod89) November 17, 2018
Goal: to be introduced to the different languages and know that you can learn it. #Coding pic.twitter.com/tkVv2GTvkD
— Claudia Amezcua (@ClaudiaAmezcua_) November 17, 2018
Thanks @LuzmaChile and @LatinaGeeks for organizing the Latinas Learn to Code workshop! #latinageeks #microsoft #MicrosoftLatinx pic.twitter.com/hbazipmwRS
— Desiree Duarte (@dechispas) November 17, 2018
#LatinaGeeks happy to be here among many #Latinas in #WA #Microsoft #microsoftlatinx #EmbraceYourIneerGeek @LatinaGeeks pic.twitter.com/HL69pBFDHA
— Yarelys Rivera (@blublakvie) November 17, 2018
To sign up for our free #LatinaGeeks membership, please join here. We look forward to seeing you at the next event or workshop.
Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for future event announcements. If you would like to sponsor a #LatinaGeeks event, please contact us here.
Would love to see you all connect with other #LatinaGeeks in the Seattle area. Find yourselves on Facebook and tag away!
