JavaScript is AsynchroWAT?
JSConfHI, Honolulu, HI, 2019
Once upon a time was junior dev who had no idea what they were doing…that junior dev was me. I was writing code that utilized AJAX requests in a proprietary framework, but had no idea how that worked and was always confused when I _knew_ my code was "logically right" but always seemed to break. Derp, I didn't know that the responses from those callouts came back whenever they felt like it! As I began to progress, I realized some of my fellow n00b colleagues had the same hang up, and this inspired me to write this talk!
There’s Enough To Go Around, Fam!
AIGA Design Conference, PasaDena, CA 2019
Psychologists refer to the “Scarcity Mindset” as a belief that there is only a finite amount of resources which encourages the behavior that anything you have you must hold on to it. Though the scarcity mindset is often used to describe economic and sociological behaviors, this talk will look at the scarcity mindset through the lens game theory. This will be a time to reflect on how we may ascribe to the belief that there isn’t enough to go around and examine how we may exhibit these behaviors, so that we can develop ways to create more abundance in ourselves and our community.
No, Hard Work Does Not Speak For Itself
TEDxStLouisWomen, St. Louis, MO 2017
Women, especially women of color are often taught that your hard work will speak for itself. Don’t ruffle feathers, just go in and get the job done and people will notice. So we do this and…nothing happens. This talk demonstrates that just being good at your job is not enough to make it to the top, we need to advocate for ourselves, we need leaders who will advocate for us, and we need to advocate for each other. It takes a village to create a successful woman in tech and business. The quicker we realize this the better off our field will be.
New Urban Tech Talent Pipelines
Meeting of the minds Panel, Oakland, CA 2016
The global tech economy fueling our cities is reliant on an ever adaptable and retrainable workforce. How do we build inclusive training programs that attract and retain and truly prepare women, minorities, and tech workers across the spectrum? How is the private sector changing and partnering with a growing ecosystem of providers, training programs, and non-profits? Are there funding opportunities for these entrepreneurs? How do we increase the pie?
Cracking Your Own Code
Edward Jones, St. Louis, MO & Phoenix, AZ 2020
Often times, women don’t pursue promotions or career progress simply because of fear. This talk sought to challenge audience members to think of their fears and the stories they tell themselves as to why they are not ready for the next step, to recognize and honor those fears, and then to examine how paying too much attention to them can have a negative impact on their career progress. Sometimes the best way to move up is by getting to know yourself.
What’s Next?
100 Women In Finance, George Town, Cayman Islands, 2019
Finance is a field that women are highly represented in, just not in leadership positions. This talk examines a possible answer to the question, why are there so few women in leadership in the finance field. I draw parallels between challenges women face in technology and finance to show that a lot of the time, we hold ourselves back from reaching our own potential. This talk sought to encourage women in the audience to think of ways they don’t progress due to fear, and ways that we can reach out for help and help others as we climb.
Variable Undefined
NYSCATE Education Technology Conference, Rochester, NY 2020
There’s a societal pressure that you should have everything figured out and it starts at a very young age. Just think, how many kindergartners have you’ve asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For me, the answer was different every time I was asked, and…not much has changed. This talk will be a reflection of a winding career path of going from teacher to techie, lessons learned along the way, and tips on how to be ok with not knowing and teaching young people to do the same.
Mindfulness Your Way Through The Maelstrom
Write Speak Code, Times Square, NYC, 2018
As an underrepresented person in tech, you are often taught how to combat the outer forces of discrimination, being undermined, and overlooked. We are taught to be better, do better, outperform, tell em' who's boss-lady/enby! We are rarely given advice on how to look inside and find happiness and confidence in who we are, regardless of our circumstances, skill level or environment. Follow me as I share my journey on the the life-changing practice of mindfulness.
Sticking Around, A Black Girl’s Journey In Tech
Blog Out Loud, Young NOn-profit professionals, St. Louis, MO 2015
In this talk, I shared my journey of being a young black woman trying to find her way in a new place and eventually in a new field that she knew nothing about. I shared some of my challenges, roadblocks, and triumphs using humor as a way to get through all of it!
Anahata: Listening To Your Heart
Washington University of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO Guest Lecturer 2016-present
This is a lecture I give every semester to a group of freshmen at WashU. In this lecture, I share my career journey and how I’ve realized over time that all I was ever doing was following my heart. It’s ok to not have a plan and sometimes it’s best not to have one. When you let your heart lead, you’ll never be doing work you don’t want to do.
