I was at the #STEMingUP Program hosted by hEr VOLUTION as a panelist alongside Ewuraesi Thompson from Shopify, sharing my professional journey to inspire girls aged between 14 to 17 to embrace a career in STEM.

Q&A

Q: Your name and your short bio (your position and company you work at or school you attend) (i.e. My name is Doina and I am the Founder of hEr VOLUTION)

My name is Frances and I am currently a software engineer specializing in UI development on the Customer Acquisition Team at Slack where my mission is to make your working life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.

I have been working professionally as a developer since 2015 and hold a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Hampton University and a Master’s in Computer Science from Cornell Tech.

Fun Fact: Outside of Slack, I am an Executive Director of Techqueria, a 501c3 nonprofit that serves the largest community of Latinx in Tech in the US.

Q. Tell us more about your journey to where you are today and what would you do differently if you were to go back?

So I didn't get into computer science until I was in my senior year of high school so I was 17 and that was 7 years ago. For most of my youth, I was interested in being a surgeon - I honestly enjoyed dissecting frogs. That biology class where you dissect frogs.

Bachelors + Masters degree in Computer Science

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able to join Slack after finding Techqueria

Q. Do you have any advice for the young women interested in a career in STEM?

Don't underestimate the skillset of communication and technical skills.

Q. What should you expect once you start your career/education in STEM?

When I was younger, I overly focused on the technical portion. Don't underestimate the communication and community, soft skills.

Q. How and why did you get involved with the STEMing UP Program

The program manager for Slack for Good recommended me for the op since I like to do speaking engagements.

Slack for Good is aiming to increase the number of historically underrepresented individuals in the technology industry.

https://twitter.com/hEr_VOLUTION/status/1287824796022198284