Hello! You are capable of anything that you apply yourself to and have tons of potential. I definitely encourage you to get involved with STEM that will help you constantly challenge yourself in an ever changing world. It will help with Science and Technology engagement, help build experience, and promote being a successful leader. It's important to have mentors that will help guide you, challenge the norms, and change our way of thinking. Plan things out and make time to study and learn new things every day. I’d recommend creating a calendar to plan out activities and develop your skills collaborating with peers in your community. I wish you the best and look forward to your Success!!!

First and foremost I just want to say what an honor it is to have the opportunity to write you and share my words of encouragement as you embark on your journey. The Tech field is one of the fastest growing fields in the world with endless opportunities. It is also a field black women are drastically under represented. As a minority myself in a field where our representation has grown, but still under represented, I know the road blocks you have gone through or may go through. My advice to you is stay the path, be strong, and know the value you can bring to your chosen field is limitless. Also know this isn’t a journey you have to take alone. Take advantage of any mentorship programs that are available and leverage people who have been through and succeeded navigating the same path you are navigating now. Please know you are the future and it is bright! Again, thanks for the opportunity and I hope these words have helped in some way.

I spent a lot of years writing code as a kid with dreams of becoming a video game developer, and even though I didn’t, it was the best time that I spent. What you get from learning to code will help in every part of your life.

Hey there!

In deciding your course of study and or learning platform, don't limit your opportunities with factors like time, money and other resources. The help is available with the right amount of time and effort put into locating resources.

You can do anything in life! Choosing a STEM career will offer you fun, challenges and opportunities you could never imagine. The beautiful thing about STEM is anyone from any background can enjoy it and succeed at it. With dedication and effort it could be an exciting opportunity to have the kind of career others dream of.

My name is Kim R. Emery, and I’m excited about this opportunity to encourage young people to start thinking about their future. I know it can be overwhelming when thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. Trust me, I have been in your shoes. But don’t let the future frighten you. Take this opportunity to really think about what you can see yourself doing in five years. Ask yourselves, do you want to be in college working on a future career that will help you change the trajectory of your lives as well as the lives of others? This can be that very moment, and I don’t want you to take this decision lightly.

Hello Ladies!!

My name is Tuwanna Johnson and I want to say “congratulations” on choosing a STEM career! I love the fact that you want to make a bold change by going into a field that is male-dominated, and also lacks the presence of smart, black women!!

I know that as young, black girls, you see the importance of diversity and inclusion challenges in your lives every day. As a whole, history was taught to portray us as non-intelligent people. But we are proving the world wrong, as there are so many of our strong, black girls and women making strides in maintaining good grades, and getting scholarships into colleges and universities that have been off-limits to us. But with the help of Black Girls Code and many other women, we will continue to encourage our young future women to strive and be the best they can be!

To continue on the path of success, remember you have to continue to stay on top of your studies every day. The STEM field is hard and it requires a lot of smart minds. Your grade point average is what will get you into the finest colleges. Make sure you maintain a 3.0 average, anything below that will hurt your chances in the long run. While in class, always take notes because that helps to reinforce the information that your teachers give you. And lastly, when at home, take the time to do the assignments your teacher gives you because they will help in the reinforcement of your studies.

I just want to say “good luck” to you, and always remember “Black Girls Rock”!!

Tuwanna J.

Hey there!

Great job in getting to the place where you want to make a decision on where your life will take you! I’m personally in a job with telecommunications and I think picking a STEM-type career is the best way to improve your own life and others. The world needs as many women as possible in the STEM paths. I personally think girls study better :) If I had focused a lot more on STEM I’d find so many uses of it in my real life today. A lot of people are being left behind when it comes to the digital revolution and I think some bright young minds like yours can help a lot with many of the people who don’t have any kind of digital literacy. I think there's nothing more inspiring than someone who's passionate about helping the world. We have so many problems today and STEM can help us save our planet. Whatever you choose and whatever you do, just try your hardest. It’s ok to fail, just fail fast and try again. Don’t waste time on how difficult things are, just handle each problem step by step.

Hey there!

My name is James. I work at Verizon as a customer service representative. I have been involved with technology most of my life. I enjoy learning about new tech and helping people understand them.

Congratulations on choosing a career in STEM. Every day, a new piece of technology is created that can help improve life for everyone. However, not everyone can keep up with the latest thing. That’s why we need people like you to keep making more technology and help the technically illiterate understand. It is especially in black communities because a career in tech is not as encouraged as other career paths. Just by choosing to be in STEM shows other people the potential that the tech industry has.

Hopefully, that helped you out. Be sure to stay focused and keep up to date on new tech trends. Also, look into things that may or may not be related to tech. You never know if you can combine those two things to create something great. Good luck!

Hey there!

The world as we know it is moving to STEM-based jobs and it is wonderful that you have started your journey into the technology industry. It is amazing that we can build up diverse groups of young women who are inspired to take the steps to learn more about the industry. While it might start off challenging, the more you learn the easier it gets. STEM will not only open career doors for you but it will help keep you up to date on the way the world is headed. STEM-based jobs are the largest growing sector of job growth, and having this knowledge will put you ahead of the curve for many job seekers in the future. Black Girls Code is an amazing group and I can't wait to see all of you advancing into your future. Stick with it and amazing things will come your way.

Stay safe, stay active, and never stop learning.

Your friend at Verizon, Gary

Hey there!

I hope you are amazing and smiling today! I wanted to introduce myself and let you know how amazing this opportunity is for you. My name is Liz and I am a Supervisor with Verizon Wireless. We are given the opportunity to give back to these amazing programs like the one you are part of. I want you to know that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. There are so many individuals from all over the world in positions that matter and can make a difference. The diversity you bring will allow you so many opportunities and I want you to know to never give up. If you work hard and you create a network that supports you in a positive way there is nothing you cannot achieve. Learn everything you can and do not ever stop learning. I am a leader and I still continue to learn everyday from my peers, my leaders, and my teams. Be open to feedback and others who give you ideas. There is always something you can use in that information. Right now you are part of a program that can give you so many options and do not give up on that. I know you are meant for greatness and will shine wherever you go! Maybe one day you will be here at Verizon showing us how to be better. Continue to smile and share ideas. Take a seat at the table and make things better, this world needs you.

Good luck,

Liz

Hey there TechDiva!

My name is Anila and I have been working with Verizon in GTS for past 15 years.

Going further back, I am originally from Pakistan and graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering in 2001 from the most reputable Engineering University in Pakistan. At that time, it was very rare for girls to go in engineering field. However with the support from my family and a passion to learn, I did not hesitate to take this bold step of exploring this territory with 98% boys in the class.

Hey there TechDiva!

I am Archana and I work at Verizon in the Global Technology Solutions team. I have been here for more than 20 years working in cutting edge technology and having a lot of fun.

When I was in school I did not imagine myself doing this work. I was good at Math and Science. My parents were very supportive and let me pursue what I wanted to do. My father was an engineer and since I looked up to him, I decided to take on engineering. I was the only girl in my class for 4 year during my undergrad. There were times when others included me and sometimes I did feel left out as they all lived in dorms together and I had to live in a girl’s dorm. Anyway, I survived and I am now very good friends with all of them.

Hey there TechDiva!

I have been in a male dominated field for my whole education and career and really my whole like (having three older brothers). Over time, what I have come to realize is that instead of trying to fit in and be like the men in my organization, I need to bring to the organization my unique skills. These are the skills that we also need from you. In preparing for this activity, we learned from the speakers that women of color are the most under-represented in tech fields. Think about how you can change that in your life-times.

Hey there TechDiva!

Unlike you, I really wished I’d followed through with pursuing a STEM path. I spent six weeks in my teens in a science and math summer immersion program at the University of Illinois/Urbana. It was an opportunity to get exposure to campus life and get enticed into the field of Engineering.

The math was intense and the engineering classes were only slightly modified from actual college classes. After my high school graduation, I turned down a full-tuition engineering scholarship because I told myself I didn’t have what it took to survive an engineering curriculum.

Hey there TechDiva!

My name is Cheryl and I have been in the Computer field for 40 years. My advice to you is to become financially independent. STEM programs are the future, and there will always be jobs there.

My parents divorced when I was little and I hated to see how my Mother struggled waiting to see if that alimony check would come each month. I told myself then that I would never have to depend on another person for my financial well-being. You are only in control of yourself, not others.

Hey there TechDiva!

My name is David and I have worked for Verizon as a Security Engineer for 24 years. I started out with a Computer Science degree in 1982. I’ve worked for Fidelity Systems, Digital Equipment and Verizon over my career. The wonderful thing about a degree in computers is that you can go in a lot of directions with the skills you acquire.

As I look back on my career I believe that I did many things well and I wanted to start off this note with that advice for you. The first thing is that I went into technology and computers. The second thing is that I found areas that interested me and I pursued then (e.g. Network Security). The third thing is to learn as many technologies as you can and don’t be afraid to constantly train yourself on anything new. The forth thing is to be optimistic and positive as a worker. And the final thing is to volunteer for projects that help the business because you never know where that takes you in your career.

Hey there TechDiva!

So why should you care about a career in STEM? What I would say is if you find some part of STEM interesting then you should consider following that path rather than find some generic job by getting a general education. As with other career paths there will be challenges but if you really enjoy what you are doing then you are not just showing up for a job.

I am the son of a butcher but was curious about computer programming back in the early ‘70s after talking with a cousin who was taking fortran in a college course (I was 13 at the time). I was lucky enough to be in a school district that had a computer programming course at the local vocational technical school so I signed up.

Hey there TechDiva!

Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do.

I didn’t think I was the “math” type - I always had thought I liked words better than numbers. I didn’t do well in high school math and science, and consequently I didn’t like it. I wasn’t motivated to excel in school at the time. I went on to a liberal arts college and worked full time locally to pay for school.