Philly Codefest Workshop: Challenging STEM Stereotypes, Presented by Boomi

Thursday, November 5, 2020

6:00 PM-7:00 PM

What do you imagine when you think of a career in STEM? What kind of people will you meet and work with? What will your day-to-day look like? Where will you need to live?

Philly Codefest sponsor and CCI Corporate Partner Boomi will present a number of STEM stereotypes and talk about how each presenter's work, career path, and background challenges these preconceptions. Through presenter discussions, Boomi will show how STEM aligns with other disciplines and how building your own bridges between interests -- even starting from a non-traditional field -- can lead to new and unique opportunities.

Presenters include:

• Nancy Chacko - QE Architect; Having spent a decade working in Silicon Valley and a decade not in silicon Valley, Nancy will speak to how to find innovative companies and tech just about anywhere.
• Tyler Pingree - Senior Software Engineer; Engineering is often perceived as an isolated, heads-down discipline. Tyler will walk through how communication skills and being a "people person" can help drive success in the engineering field.
• Josephine Leung - Senior Product Manager; Josephine holds degrees in Literature and Library Science and spends her free time sewing and knitting, yet she has always felt comfortable working in Tech. She'll talk about how the skills and mindset in her hobbies contribute to her work as a product manager.
• Colleen Todd - Software Engineer; Being the non-typical demographic in both school and work have been an interesting journey to say the least. Colleen will talk through her experience in technology and working through spaces her demographic was often shut out of.
• Eric Fennell - Platform Architect; From his days tinkering on the Apple II (thanks mom!), Eric has loved exploring and building. He'll highlight how expertise in a complementary discipline can lead to an unexpected opportunity for on-the-job learning.
• anne gibson - UX DesignIn addition to designing websites, anne writes science fiction and fantasy, runs a small publication about web design, plays competitive pinball, and watches the Jack Russell terriers destroy things.