FemIT Conf: a bid for more women in technology

“Hey, can we take a picture?” A young Costa Rican student asked this very excitedly to Virginia Barrios at an event in that country during the spring of 2019. While the girl began to pose for the selfie, I looked at Virginia in astonishment. So she, who I could guess was just as perplexed, asked her: “Do you know me? Do you know who I am?”. The young lady looked at her again and answered firmly: “Yes, I know Las de Sistemas” and pointed to the logo on the classic purple community T-shirt Virginia was wearing. While they were taking pictures, she explained that she had known the organization through social media and said that she wanted to be a programmer when she finished school. I don’t exactly recall, but that was enough to clear my doubts: the girl knew what she meant.

That precise moment revealed to me the power of a technological community that I have never ceased to admire since then for the first time. That same year, ADC once again sponsored FemIT Conf in its second edition.

I remember that, together with my former colleague and dear friend Jeanette Torres – who also played a role in the formation of the community – we organized and set up an ADC stand. We brought a modest amount of merchandise to raffle and decorated the space with great affection, the same, but multiplied, that we felt from the organizers and visitors that day.

I mention this because I got a first-hand experience of the effort, dedication, commitment and passion with which Las de Sistemas carries out FemIT, a yearly Argentinian technology conference with a gender perspective. And now you too can enjoy that wonderful sensation in the fifth edition of FemIT Conf, to be held online and free of charge on Saturday, November 12. Don’t miss it!