Episodio 64: Tech Communities (Comunidades tecnológicas)

Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast

Cuando Tiffany Agiri comenzó la escuela preparatoria en 2016, no tenía idea qué quería hacer con su vida.

Mientras tanto, conoció a una amiga de su mamá que vivía en el vecindario.

Tiffany la conocía como “la doctora Isioma” por su doctorado en tecnología.

Trabajaba en la industria de la tecnología, o tech industry.

Dr.

Isioma had advanced degrees in tech and she had an important job as a manager at a tech company.

She was amazing.

She studied at Harvard University, and she was the first Black woman I ever met who worked in the tech industry.

So to me, Dr.

Isioma was really special and talented.

My mom told her that I liked math and science and that I was taking advanced classes.

So when I met her, she looked at me and said, “I think you could be good at tech.”

La industria de la tecnología ni siquiera estaba en el radar de Tiffany.

Nunca se imaginó programando o desarrollando un software.

Además, en Estados Unidos en ese momento, en esa industria, había muy pocas mujeres de color.

After Dr.

Isioma said I could be good at tech, I started watching videos on YouTube to learn more about it.

I discovered that tech involves a lot of puzzles and solving problems — and I loved that! I thought a career in tech could be perfect for me.

But it wasn’t going to be easy.

My mom asked me, “Are you going to be comfortable being the only woman, or the only Black woman in the room?” And honestly, my answer was no! But I told myself, “Tiffany, you can’t be successful unless you try new things — even if it makes you uncomfortable.” So I decided I wanted to work in the tech industry!

Welcome, les damos la bienvenida a “Relatos en inglés”, un podcast de Duolingo.

Soy Diana Gameros.

En cada episodio podrás practicar inglés a tu propio ritmo, escuchando historias reales y fascinantes, contadas por las personas que las vivieron.

Hoy, tenemos dos historias sobre dos jóvenes trabajadoras en la industria de la tecnología que encuentran una forma única de hacerse lugar en la industria.

Tiffany se crió en el estado de Georgia.

Y siempre le fascinaron los acertijos y la resolución de problemas.

I’ve always loved math.

In school, I usually hung out in the math classroom, and talked about math problems with my teacher! And then I stayed after school to continue studying, even though I didn’t need to.

My parents had to tell me, “Tiffany, come on! Ride the bus home.

You can’t stay at school forever.” But I just wanted to learn about math.

It was so interesting to me.

Después de que su vecina, la Dra.

Isioma, planteó la posibilidad de que una chica como ella podría tener una carrera exitosa en tecnología, Tiffany comenzó a explorar la opción de convertirse en programadora de computadoras, o computer programmer.

Miró videos en YouTube de personas programando, o writing code.

When I watched these videos, I thought, “I could be really good at this.” And after thinking for years about what kind of career I wanted, I finally knew.

I was going to be a programmer and write code! And I wanted to get a job at a tech company.

When I realized this, I was so happy to have a plan for my life.

Si bien Tiffany todavía estaba en la escuela preparatoria, su colegio ofrecía a los estudiantes la oportunidad de tomar algunas clases en la Universidad Estatal de Kennesaw, que quedaba cerca.

Así fue que cuando Tiffany comenzó su último año de escuela en 2019, decidió estudiar tecnología.

I signed up for two programming classes at the local college.

They were really hard, and I was still taking regular high school classes too, so it was a lot of work.

I usually had to study all night.

But I enjoyed it! And I thought, “If it’s this hard and I’m still enjoying it, I made the right choice.”

No era solamente que las clases eran difíciles.

A los diecisiete años, Tiffany era la alumna más joven de sus clases y, además, no solo era la única mujer, sino que era la única persona negra.

Las mujeres negras solo representan alrededor del 3% de todos los profesionales de la industria de la tecnología.

At times, I felt like my classmates didn’t listen to me or care about my ideas.

And I wondered if that was because I was a young Black woman.

I felt like I was alone because no one else looked like me.

And one day I was at the college, and I forgot a book in one of my classrooms.

So, I went back to get it, and the professor told me I was in the wrong place.

That was when I started to feel like I wasn’t welcome.

So, I called my mom, and I cried as I told her, “People don’t respect me here.

I don’t even feel like a person.”

En tiempos difíciles, Tiffany encontró el apoyo que necesitaba.

Se refugiaba en su familia y en la doctora Isioma, quien a menudo visitaba a su mamá.

Dr.

Isioma helped me a lot.

She had the same experiences, and she always told me to continue working hard.

She was so successful in tech, and it really inspired me.

I thought, “Wow.

If she can do it, I can do it.”

Así que Tiffany decidió no bajar los brazos y continuar.

Se destacó en las clases y eso le permitió obtener pasantías en Amazon y Microsoft.

Unos meses antes de graduarse de la escuela preparatoria, se topó con un grupo del que nunca había oído hablar antes…

One of my friends went to a different high school, and her school had a club called Girls Who Code.

So, she invited me to come to a meeting.

We met in a classroom, and all of the chairs were in a circle.

Each person described what they wanted to do, and many people talked about being a little afraid to study computer science.

That’s when I realized for the first time that there were other girls like me.

I felt really supported and inspired.

“Chicas que codifican”, o Girls Who Code, es una organización de clubes escolares donde las niñas y las personas no binarias interesadas en la codificación pueden trabajar juntas en diferentes sitios web, juegos, arte digital y otros proyectos.

La hermandad, o sisterhood, como la llama Tiffany, continúa apoyándose una vez que termina el programa.

I felt like I was in the right place, like I was part of a sisterhood.

We all had similar goals and fears, and everyone was there to help each other achieve those goals.

It inspired me to continue working hard to become a programmer and get a job in the tech industry.

Tiffany estaba a punto de graduarse y no podía pertenecer más a Girls Who Code en su preparatoria.

En el otoño de 2020, comenzó la universidad.

Se especializó en Tecnología de la Información y Ciencias de la Computación.

Hasta que un día, Girls Who Code reapareció en su vida.

One day, I was surprised to see a post online about Girls Who Code.

I found out that they had college clubs at a lot of schools, but when I checked, there wasn’t one at mine.

I thought, “If my school had this club, it could help a lot of girls.” So many women stop studying computer science because they have no support.

But I thought, “If we have a sisterhood, maybe more women will stay.”

Así que Tiffany estableció su propio capítulo de Girls Who Code en su universidad.

Estaba emocionada de poner al club en marcha.

Era 2020 y en ese momento las clases y los clubes universitarios eran virtuales.

So I organized an online event.

For that first meeting, I invited two speakers.

Both women graduated from my college, and now one worked at Google and the other worked at Disney.

I was really excited, but I didn’t know what to expect.

I just announced the event online.

I thought maybe only a few of my friends were going to come.

El día de la reunión, Tiffany inició sesión en Zoom y saludó a las personas que se unían a la llamada.

Al principio no eran muchos pero luego se fueron sumando más y más, ¡hasta llegar a más de setenta personas!

I couldn’t believe how many women came! After that, the rest of the meeting was so much better than I expected.

The two speakers talked about their careers, and then, everyone asked a lot of questions.

Se suponía que la sesión duraría sólo una hora, ¡pero se prolongó durante dos horas! Algunas semanas después, en una reunión, una de las integrantes se acercó a Tiffany.

Quería darle las gracias.

This student said, “I want you to know that I’m going to work at my dream company, and it’s all because of you and this club.” When I started this club, I hoped to change at least one woman’s life, the way Dr.

Isioma changed mine.

So, this was such an amazing thing to hear.

Desde que Tiffany comenzó el nuevo capítulo de Girls Who Code en 2020, la organización con la que se había cruzado en la escuela de su amiga se convirtió en una parte central en su vida.

Y Tiffany sabe que esto siempre será parte de ella, sin importar a dónde vaya con su carrera tecnológica.

At our meetings, I just felt so grateful because I never imagined that I could have a community like this.

And it’s not only a community of women with the same interests, it’s a sisterhood.

These people are always there to support me.

Cuando Tiffany piensa en sus comienzos, con dudas sobre su lugar en la industria de la tecnología, ella puede ver cómo esta comunidad cambió su vida.

Después de graduarse, Tiffany comenzó a trabajar en LinkedIn.

I want women like me to know that they can be very successful.

Being the only Black woman in a lot of my classes taught me that there’s a lot of power in being different from everyone else.

You have ideas and ways of thinking that other people don’t have.

And that makes you so strong and powerful.

Mientras Tiffany iniciaba el capítulo Girls Who Code en su universidad en 2020, Michelle Fang se graduaba de la universidad y comenzaba un nuevo trabajo remoto en una empresa de tecnología.

Era una pequeña empresa recién fundada, o startup, que había creado una aplicación de mensajería.

A lot of tech companies began as startups.

The goal of a startup is usually to solve one single problem in the world, and people who work there really believe in what they do.

I worked at some startups in college and it was exciting.

You feel like you’re changing the world.

Pero después de unos meses en el nuevo trabajo, para ella las cosas no fluían del todo bien.

Por la pandemia, vivía con sus padres en los suburbios del estado de Nueva Jersey.

Y aunque trabajaba de manera remota en una empresa tecnológica emergente, no se sentía parte de esa comunidad.

Every day, I woke up in the house where I grew up, I opened my laptop, and I started working.

I didn’t have a community of people around me, and I really missed that.

When I worked at tech startups in college, I always felt inspired.

Everyone around me was creating things to improve the world.

It was so exciting! But at home, I just didn’t feel inspired anymore.

So, I decided to make a change.

En la primavera de 2021, Michelle comenzó a viajar a otras ciudades aprovechando que podía trabajar desde cualquier lugar: Los Ángeles, Austin, Miami.

En estos viajes, se alojaba en espacios comunitarios conocidos como “casas de hackers”, o hacker houses.

There are a lot of tech companies in cities like San Francisco and Austin, but they’re super expensive places to live.

So, hacker houses are communities where young tech workers can save money by living and working together.

Most of them are in their 20s, and they want to learn from each other and experience a new city together.

There are lots of social events at hacker houses, so there are many opportunities to meet new people in the tech industry.

A Michelle le encantaba descubrir otras ciudades.

Pero hubo una que la atrajo más que ninguna otra: San Francisco.

Es el corazón de la región conocida como Silicon Valley, en el norte de California, donde se encuentran muchas de las principales empresas tecnológicas, incluidas Facebook, Google y Apple.

San Francisco is the center of the tech world, and I really wanted to go there.

So that summer, I visited the city with some friends.

On our first day, we took a bus to an office space where a lot of tech people go to work.

I had so many great conversations with the people I met there.

We thought the world could be a better place, so we were all working on projects that could help people by making their lives better, easier, or just more fun.

Una vez que terminó su viaje, Michelle estaba ansiosa por regresar.

Durante los meses que siguieron, regresó varias veces a San Francisco.

I just couldn’t stay away from San Francisco.

I went back to visit many times.

And finally, I decided to live there.

I wanted to meet more people and build a community.

Michelle estaba entusiasmada, pero también nerviosa.

San Francisco was all the way across the country from my family and all my college friends on the East Coast.

It’s a big city full of people, but it’s easy to feel like you’re alone if you don’t have a community.

I also wasn’t making a lot of money at the time, so I didn’t have a lot to spend on an apartment.

Michelle tuvo una idea.

Mientras buscaba apartamentos de manera virtual, encontró una casa de ocho habitaciones.

¡Incluso antes de verla personalmente decidió alquilarla y formar su propia casa de hackers! Sería una forma de conocer gente, perfeccionar sus habilidades profesionales y ahorrar en el alquiler.

My friend Trustin was also interested in moving to San Francisco, so we decided to move there together and create a hacker house.

A lot of people in the tech industry use Twitter, so I made a post that said I was looking for roommates.

And then we got so many responses! Around a hundred people wanted to live in our house! But Trustin and I could only pick six of them.

Michelle y Trustin le pidieron a todos los interesados que completaran una encuesta.

Hicieron preguntas como: “¿Qué esperas obtener de la convivencia?”, “¿Qué crees que puedes aportar a la comunidad?”.

Después, se pasaron semanas revisando las respuestas y entrevistando a gente.

Overall, we looked for people who did different kinds of work because we wanted our house to be diverse.

And we tried to pick people who didn’t just want to save money.

We wanted everyone to be interested in being part of a community.

Finalmente, Michelle y Trustin seleccionaron a otros seis compañeros de casa.

Uno era el fundador de una startup de educación.

Otro había fundado una empresa de motocicletas eléctricas.

Todos trabajaban en un campo diferente dentro de la industria tecnológica.

It was a diverse group of really interesting people.

I couldn’t wait to meet everyone! I called it Elysian House.

The word “elysian” means a paradise or an ideal place, and that’s what it felt like to me.

It was an ideal house with the ideal people in an ideal city.

En marzo de 2022, Michelle voló a San Francisco y caminó hasta la “Casa Elísea”, o Elysian House, por primera vez.

Esa noche, los ocho compañeros de casa hablaron sobre sus proyectos y sus objetivos.

Todos iban a trabajar a distancia, o work remotely, desde la casa.

During the day, we all worked remotely from the house.

One roommate was building an electric motorcycle in our basement.

Another roommate, Audrey, started a company that helps young students develop their interests.

We were all doing different things, but we often worked on our laptops at the same table, or we chatted while we made lunch.

So, it felt really friendly.

A finales de junio, se venció el contrato de alquiler y era hora de que cada uno siguiera su propio camino.

Michelle se mudó a su propio departamento en un barrio cercano, pero gracias a la casa de hackers, cosechó amigos y conocidos dentro del mundo de la tecnología por toda la ciudad.

Thanks to the hacker house, I found the community I was missing when I was living at home with my parents.

It made me feel really excited about my work.

And even though I’m not living at Elysian House anymore, I’m still friends with my old roommates.

We’re all in a group chat together, and we try to see each other as often as we can.

Elysian House tuvo tanto éxito que Michelle y Trustin crearon un sitio web que funciona como una guía sobre la vida en comunidad.

Su objetivo es ayudar a las personas a encontrar o crear sus propias casas grupales.

I love bringing young people together and seeing what we can build.

My generation is exciting because we believe that we can do things in a new way, and we’re not afraid to create our own path in the tech industry.

Michelle Fang se dedica a construir comunidades y es jefa de redes sociales en una startup tecnológica llamada Safara.

Actualmente vive en San Francisco.

Nuestra primera protagonista, Tiffany Agiri, también vive en San Francisco y trabaja en el desarrollo de nuevos productos para LinkedIn.

Este episodio fue producido por Samia Bouzid, una productora de audio que vive en Filadelfia.