HITS

Ana Arauz hit a rough patch in her life when she moved from New York to L.A., winding up homeless as a single parent. Today she works at the University of Southern California, and she credits her involvement with the nonprofit CodeTalk, a digital technology job training program for low-income and underserved women, for helping get her on her feet.

“It gave me confidence, and the agility to move forward,” she said, speaking March 8 during a panel with other beneficiaries of nonprofits supported by Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH), at the 2021 WiTH Leadership Awards event. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. I was able to set an example for my daughter.”

Simone Dublin, a fellow CodeTalk alumna, was in the midst of being unemployed for a year, and it was CodeTalk, that gave her the entry-level technology skills needed to find work. “CodeTalk definitely prepares you for the challenges you’ll face in and out of the work space,” she said. “Without CodeTalk I wouldn’t have been exposed to the world of cybersecurity.

“These programs create the balance the world needs.”

For Beatriz Ruiz, a consultant with Deluxe today, it was the STEM Advantage program — which offers paid internships, scholarships, mentorship programs and more — that led her on the path to a career in technology.

“If it wasn’t for STEM Advantage, I wouldn’t have the confidence or success I’ve enjoyed in a STEM career,” she said. “You see what these organizations have done for the panelists. It opens up opportunities for those who wouldn’t otherwise [have them].”

A career in engineering wasn’t even on Daniela Orozco-Jimenez’s radar. Today she’s a mechanical engineering student at Stanford University, and it was the DIY Girls program that paved the way for her desired career path. That program aims to increase girls’ interest and success in technology and engineering via educational experiences and mentors

“My eyes were opened to the endless possibility of improving your community with engineering. I shifted a lot [around] what I wanted to do,” she said. “Girls from under-resourced communities need access to groups like these. They provide access to opportunities that we didn’t get in school.”

And for Brandi Cotton, now a software engineer with JPMorgan Chase, it was PepUp Tech, geared toward lifting underserved students toward tech careers, that will always earn her praise.

“It introduced me to the world of Salesforce, gave me all the tools necessary,” she said. “These type of organizations help give insight into what’s possible.”

The panel kicked off an afternoon honoring the winners of the 2021 Leadership Awards, including Nicole McMackin, CEO of Irvine Technology Company, Davida Johnson, managing director, UCLA Office of Advanced Research Computing — Data and Technology Solutions, Katie Hinsen, executive producer of dailies and digital intermediate for Nice Shoes, and Christina Aguilera, head of creative engineering for Amazon Studios.

The WiTH Foundation is donating 100 percent of all revenues from Awards sponsorships to local charity organizations that consistently deliver on the goals of the WiTH organization, which include professional development, mentoring and networking, and community engagement.

WiTH is an organization that serves as a catalyst for the advancement of women in entertainment technology, and the WiTH Foundation Board of Directors, which selects the Leadership Awards winners, includes representatives from women’s organizations at Amazon Web Services, Cognizant, Deluxe, Expert.ai, FilmTrack, Google, KeyInfo, Los Angeles Distribution & Broadcasting, Premiere Digital and Signiant.

Amazon Studios Technology, Google and OOONA were among the sponsors of the 2021 awards event.