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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Emily Villalba, an associate software engineer with Sony Pictures, graduated summa cum laude from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in computer science, and a deep understanding how algorithms, interfaces, data structures, and mobile app development works.

And yet despite obvious industry qualifications, she entered the job market with a distinct sense of imposter syndrome.

It was only made worse when the person interviewing her at a giant technology firm told her she was only in the running for a job because she was a woman.

“It’s such a male-dominated field, and [often] a discriminatory industry,” she said, speaking at the Nov. 3 SoCal Women’s Leadership Summit, held at Nya Studios as part of the Infinity Festival.

April Schneider, VP of IT, intellectual property management and general counsel for Sony Pictures Entertainment, couldn’t be happier that Villalba landed at her company instead. “She’s a gem for Sony Pictures,” Schneider said, while moderating the panel “Lasting Impact: WiTH Impact Stories,” which featured five individual stories detailing the impact WiTH has in local communities, specifically via WiTH-supported nonprofits.

For Villalba it was STEM Advantage, a nonprofit that provides science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career opportunities to Cal State University students. For Nina Doeff, a support engineer for PopSQL, it was Boundless Brilliance, which starts even earlier, getting elementary school girls into the STEM game, and works with them for years afterward.

Doeff said she encountered discrimination early in high school and saw why so few girls stuck it out in areas like chemistry: there’s very little in the way of community, very few other girls to connect with around the same interests. Boundless Brilliance changed that for her.

“Having that community really changed things, helped me get across the finish line to graduation,” she said.

Data from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media shows that the older girls get, the less likely they are to stay in STEM industries, thanks to portrayals in the media, discrimination, and a general lack of peer support organizations to help drive their interests.

DIY Girls is one of those organizations that aims to change that, with youth-oriented programming that builds both skills and confidence. And Fabiola Martinez, a computer science student at College of the Canyons, is a testament that programs like DIY Girls have a ton to offer.

“In my head, STEM was strictly a doctor or scientist,” Martinez said. “DIY opened up the creative side of STEM. DIY showed me I really am capable.”

For Lauren Kush the benefits of a WiTH-sponsored nonprofit and the community that comes with it have proven even more tangible: even as a college graduate, she found herself homeless in Los Angeles, and living in her car.

Codetalk, a digital web technology job training program for low income, underemployed and underserved women, helped get her back on her feet.

“My way of life and way of thinking changed because of Codetalk,” Kush said. In “a bad situation” with a lack of social support, it was Codetalk that helped her “both professionally and personally.”

And for Rose Cherubin, she credits being a certified AWS cloud practitioner to the Women’s Empowerment Institute (WEI), a national nonprofit that provides free job skills training and professional development for women in need. “Having community early on was missing,” she said. “Pivoting to technology was difficult, but I knew I had to take the risk, and there are amazing nonprofits that help people career pivot. Finding WEI, they really embraced my previous work experience. They cared about the person I was.”

The annual SoCal Women’s Leadership Summit was presented by Qvest with sponsorship by Softtek. The full-day event, themed “Us, Our Org, Our Community,” offered a dynamic lineup of presentations and discussions. Attendees enjoyed engaging sessions such as “STEM in Media,” “Courageous Leadership,” and “Ethical AI.”