Digital media is a rapidly growing and changing industry. It offers lots of opportunity to young people; however, tech can sometimes carry a bad rep for being “geeky” or male-dominated.
Recently, I had the honor of attending and speaking at a Glow Up Tech event over Zoom. The meeting featured Cheryl Chotrani, an accomplished woman who has worked at a variety of influential media companies, and currently, Facebook! Cheryl shared the unique workplace culture of Facebook and discussed her journey in detail all the way from high school to where she is now.
Glow Up Tech aims to remove the stigma behind tech and encourage high school and college girls to consider the field. Each event, created and led by Glow Up Tech founder Dimple Mathradas, features a successful female speaker in tech. Attendees get to hear their stories and ask questions. Be sure to check out their website here.
The bright, ambitious teen girls listened intently to Cheryl’s story. Nobody looked down at their phones.
During the break, I got to tell the attendees about my experience as a Girlspring springboarder- how I was able to explore my passion for writing and learn how to collaborate with others for a common cause. I plan to major in psychology when I start college, and I learned I want to do this when I got to listen to people’s stories during interviews for my articles.
I asked the girls to tell me about their aspirations and callings. Their answers will inspire you.
“ Entrepreneur/Business owner. I want to open up a business within the food industry! I am passionate about baking and all things coffee, since I used to be a barista!”
-Isabel Lee
San Ramon, CA
“My dream job is always changing based on the more I learn about future career options. Right now, I really want to be an industrial designer. I have always been super interested in art, and also math and engineering, so it’s a perfect blend! “
–Simran
San Francisco, CA
“My dream job is opening up a cozy cafe filled with books, good vibes, and tasty pastries! I love baking and creating foods of all kinds along with drinking coffee, so a cafe would be perfect! I also love to read and would love to create a space for everyone to chill and have a good time. 🙂 “
-Hamayl
Bay Area, CA
“My dream job is to be a lawyer or political analyst. I want to be a political analyst so I can focus on domestic or international politics and see how certain policies affect groups! That way, when we create new legislation, we can cater it to the groups that need it! “
-Vasavi
San Ramon, CA
“Wizard.”
Kelly Toney
Oakland, CA
Executive director of Girlspring who was attending the event with me shared her answer, too, for kicks.
“My dream job is director of a girl power organization. 🙂 “
Kristen Greenwood
Birmingham, AL
At the end of the event, Dimple asked the girls to share their “glimmers of gold,” or biggest takeaways from Cheryl’s talk. The consensus? Find a female mentor who is where you want to be. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.
