The Unicorn Engineer — Issue #1

Hola! 👋🏽

‍If you’re reading this, you probably opted into hearing from me at some point — thank you! 💛
It’s been a long time since I’ve sent an email out, so if you’re wondering who I am… fair. 🙈

This marks the first issue of The Unicorn Engineer, a personal newsletter where I share updates on the things I care about most — elevating Latinx in tech, growing ERGs, expanding apprenticeship programs, and reflecting on what I’m learning along the way. 🌱

Expect occasional updates full of heart, humor, and helpful takeaways. Let’s dive in. 💫

💃🏽 Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

I kicked off the month with a LinkedIn series highlighting resources and voices uplifting our community — from K-12 students dreaming of tech careers to seasoned ERG leaders building belonging at work.

Highlights included:

• 🎓 Resources for Latinx students in K-12 and college
• 👩🏽‍💻 Latina software engineers you should know
• 💬 LinkedIn Live events on visibility and career growth
• 🚀 Spotlights on Latinx entrepreneurs and VC leaders

If you want to collaborate on future content or events, DM me or reply to this post! I’d love to feature your work. 🙌🏽

🛠️ What I’ve Been Working On (Outside of Work)

1. ✍🏽 Published my GitHub Guide: ONWARD: A framework for maintaining maintainers — a value framework for open source maintainers on how to empower contributors and build sustainable projects.
2. 🧵 Created a Twitter List: Latinas Who Code — because we need more visibility for the brilliant Latinas building the future of tech.

🎓 Latest Personal & Career Learnings

• Design systems matter — even if your team is under 5 engineers.
• Selling your car via Bidlane = totally worth skipping the hassle.
• Moving to WordPress simplified my digital life. 🧘🏽‍♀️
• Leadership communication shapes culture more than anything else.
• Dogs are the ultimate stress management tool. 🐾 (Luna & Sueño agree.)

☎️ Free Mentorship Calls

For a limited time, I’m offering free 30-minute mentorship sessions for ERG leaders, aspiring engineers, and anyone passionate about making tech more inclusive.

👉🏽 Book a 30-Minute Chat

Thanks for being here, friend. ❤️
Whether you’ve been following me for years or just found me, I hope The Unicorn Engineer brings you value, inspiration, and maybe a smile or two.

Until next time,
Frances 🦄