VOICES with Stephanie Rodriguez

VOICES: Stephanie Rodriguez Discusses the Challenges Women and Minorities Face in STEM Careers

June 3, 2020
AM
Communications Officer

The Constellation Center for Equity in Computing at Georgia Tech has formed VOICES - Voices of Innovative Compassionate Experts in Society, an alliance of forward-thinking, transformational, and empathetic thought leaders with the goal of laying out a rigorous agenda to shine a brighter spotlight on the social negligence shown toward poorer communities, and the lack of equitable access to upward mobility and quality education and healthcare. In this time of crisis, it is clear that computer science education is only part of the solution.

To kick off the series, Constellations Director of Innovation and Educational Leadership Lien Diaz spoke with Stephanie Rodriguez, vice president of policy and engagement at AnitaB.org.

Together, the women explored the current landscape of careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for women and minorities, what challenges these groups are facing when it comes to upward mobility and income inequality, and what AnitaB.org is doing to help close these gaps.

“Women in STEM face challenges that women in all ecosystems are facing, and then they also face challenges unique to the STEM field. It’s a big question to ask how are we doing, but I think the short answer is not good enough. There are still huge disparities across job levels and across training platforms around the inclusion of women and people of color…we need to do better,” said Rodriguez.

With a background in immunology and policy, Rodriguez brought a unique perspective when discussing the impact of COVID-19 on the tech workforce, education systems, and the 2020 election.

For the full conversation, check out the video on our YouTube page. The conversation is also available on Spotify and Apple Podcast. The video was recorded on April 30, 2020.

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