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Have you been curious about learning to code but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you’ve been thinking about a change in your career?

On Saturday, September 22nd, #LatinaGeeks gathered their team of Latina leaders, in partnership with Microsoft, to present a hands-on Learn to Code workshop at The Vault in San Francisco, California. This was their first hands-on workshop away from Southern California, where the team hosts various educational workshops in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.

The workshop began with a very special and heartfelt thank you by #LatinaGeeks co-founder Lala Castro who shared her passion and interest in creating educational opportunities for all Latinas. She shared with the 50 attendees her desire to help Latinas who are not exposed to opportunities, education, and resources to not just join the tech ecosystem, but to also have the opportunity to improve their skills in their careers and lives.

The #LatinaGeeks workshops are known to sell out within hours through Facebook events and Instagram, making it clear that “the lack of Latinas in tech is not due to a lack of interest, it’s a lack of resources. #LatinaGeeks bridges that gap. These workshops are also an opportunity to network, learn, and meet other #LatinaGeeks just like yourself.”

With Microsoft as an official partner, this was the first coding workshop to come to the San Francisco area. The workshop itself was led by Sal Rosales from Microsoft with support from Luz Maria Pasini and Tamanna Kottwani, also Microsoft employees who volunteered their Saturday to teach a class of 50 non-technical business women the principles of computer engineering. During this workshop, the new #LatinaGeeks members were exposed to the foundations of HTML, CSS and JavaScript — the three building blocks for the entire web.  

As part of the #LatinaGeeks partnership, Microsoft is actively inviting Latinas to look out for job openings from the company who is committed to hiring diverse talent and providing opportunities for mentorship and career development. Through Microsoft’s generous sponsorship, which includes training, and event spaces, #LatinaGeeks members will be able to participate in upcoming opportunities to further their careers.

In 2019, #LatinaGeeks members will have the opportunity to attend Microsoft’s READY Conference in Las Vegas. Microsoft will sponsor 200 #LatinaGeeks members to attend the Ready Conference next year who will also have the opportunity to interview with  Microsoft for roles spanning marketing, sales, engineering, and product.

“I saw this as a learning opportunity to be able to speak better with developers and software engineers in my company. I know if I want something done, I have to be able to communicate it, or better yet, do it myself!” says Martha Murillo, a marketing manager and business consultant at Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) Consultant Council who attended the event.

Other attendees stated, “I saw the event pop up on my Facebook feed and thought it would be great for me to attend. I realize that coding is becoming a necessary skill through many sectors and felt it would be a great way to learn amongst women who look like me.”

Overall the reasons for attending ranged from wanting to explore coding as a new career to wanting to network with other Latinas, to a desire to inspire other young Latinas to learn this critical new skill of the 21st century.

“We can always guide you and connect you to the right people…but the hard work is all you!” says Lala Castro. #LatinaGeeks mission is to provide resources to Latinas who proudly embrace their inner geek.

A big thank you to our wonderful sponsors, the Microsoft team from Yammer, Sal Rosales,  Tamanna Kottwani, our delicious breakfast and lunch sponsor MA Catering, our Happy Hour Sponsor Jill Wesley of Science and Soul Speaking, visiting chapter presidents, Sandra Ponce de Leon, Ana Reyes, Luz Maria Pasini, Vanessa Miranda, and of course Tanya Salcido and Lala Castro, our fearless #LatinaGeeks cofounders, who without them this event would not have been possible.

The inspiring afternoon of coding skills, honest questions, and a supportive networking was a huge success and a true testimony that Latinas are more than ready to break into tech. 

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 for future event announcements. If you would like to sponsor a #LatinaGeeks event, please contact us here. We look forward to meeting you!