Marianna Ribeiro (she/her)

9 Questions with Marianna Ribeiro, Head of Social Media, LATAM, at YouTube

Marianna was originally interviewed on More By Her, a platform and community to highlight women shaping culture.

Marianna Ribeiro (she/her) is a storyteller. She’s built her marketing career at brands liked NBCUniversal, YouTube, TikTok, and Globo TV, where she worked on creating content, developing effective content strategies, and telling stories that deserve to be told.

Marianna is also a YouTube creator at De Mudança (Moving Out), where she shares tips for people who are seeking financial and personal independence.

Today, she resides in São Paulo, Brazil, where she works as the Head of Social Media Marketing at YouTube for Latin America.

1. How did you get into tech?

Honestly, I never, ever thought I would work at a tech company. My whole career has been dedicated to content production, so I never figured that tech would fit in.

After I started my own YouTube channel, I began understanding YouTube as a platform and discovered that working with social media requires a deep knowledge of consumer behavior; otherwise, growth will be difficult. Having combined this knowledge with great content production, I was invited to work at musica.ly, my first ever tech experience, and saw it become TikTok in 2018. After TikTok, I started working for YouTube and fell in love with tech. I feel that the company really respects my background in content production, and I’ve gotten to learn a lot about how to derive insights from numbers.

2. Where’s your hometown?

São Paulo, Brazil.

3. What’s a time you faced a struggle?

Many times in my career, I’ve had to work in places where I was the only Black person in the office. It was hard; I had no references, no leadership I could look up to and see myself in. It seemed that a position in company leadership would never happen to me.

At one internship, I worked hard to get a full-time offer because I really enjoyed what I was doing there, and I received excellent feedback from managers. But every time a new position opened, they gave various excuses not to choose me. In the end, I had to leave my internship because my contract expired, but I saw other interns whose performance rates were not as high as mine get hired. I never understood why they didn’t want me. I felt discriminated against. Later on, leadership changed, they gave me another chance, and I was able to grow a lot in my career. I’m really happy to be at YouTube now.

4. What’s a time you did something you were immensely proud of?

I’m really proud of having a successful YouTube Channel, De Mudança (Moving Out). It’s something I built from scratch, pouring all my heart in and everything I know about content creation and strategy. Today, I could have it as my primary job if I wanted to. Even though it’s a niche channel (I teach people how to organize their financial life) I’ve become a reference on the topic in Brazil and surpassed 70k subscribers.

At some point in 2019. I had to decide whether to focus on my channel or YouTube because doing both was compromising my mental health; so, I don’t produce as many videos nowadays as I used to. But it’s definitely my favorite project.

5. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

I want to start a new YouTube Channel focused on music. Singing makes me extremely happy, so I’m working on sharing videos, both covers and originals, in 2020.

6. Favorite food?

Barbecue.

7. Favorite book?

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

8. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

A chef! I love to cook and think I’d run a kitchen very well.

9. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Not getting a job or date (haha) is not the end of the world. It’s probably the beginning of a new chapter. Let life take its course and be patient with yourself.

Oh, and please, exercise frequently! You’ll miss it later.

Anisa Benitez Hodelin (she/her)

Anisa is a brand builder, strategic marketer, artist advocate, and creative entrepreneur. She’s built her marketing career at iconic brands, such as: Google, where she has worked on hardware and YouTube; Time Inc. where she worked for TIME magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Fortune magazine; and RCA Records under Sony Music Entertainment.

Today Anisa resides in New York City, where she works as a Brand Marketing Manager for YouTube Music, within Google. She is also the founder of More by Her, a creative project to support women in the arts. Her biggest passions are empowering artists & performers, celebrating culture, promoting wellness, and advocating for human rights.

1/ When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

I decided that I wanted to work in tech when I decided to prioritize growth. After working in industries where my professional and personal growth opportunities were limited, I needed a change. In the music and media industries, I experienced low morale. There were many layoffs, much competitiveness, and nostalgia for the good ‘ole days. I craved that ‘buzz’ of optimistic energy in the office. I wanted to be challenged, to bring my innovative ideas to work with me, to be encouraged to grow. I’m grateful to say I’ve experienced all of this in tech.

2/ Who is a role model that you look up to?

My mom, Joie. She’s an artist, a painter mainly, and growing up she exposed me to almost every art form under the sun. When I was little I spent so much time making: crafting, painting, playing my violin, sewing, dancing, cooking, and designing.

She also home-schooled me and my brother on-and-off until middle school, which allowed us to travel and get exposed to the world. My love of culture, my desire to ‘make’ more than consume, and my love of all arts are largely attributed to her.

3/ Where’s your hometown?

Montclair, New Jersey; it’s near Manhattan. I grew up spending a lot of time in the city and declaring myself a New Yorker pre-maturely.

4/ What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

In February of 2017, my boyfriend at the time and I relocated from Brooklyn to San Francisco for me to start work at Google. We were both away from our families, starting a new life chapter. About 6 months into our new chapter, he had a stroke. He had an extremely rare arteriovenous malformation (AVM) rupture in his brain. I became his primary caregiver for the next 6 months as he recovered his short-term memory, ability to read, write, and more.

Being a caregiver was hugely demanding, emotionally and mentally. The achiever in me wanted to excel at it all: continue to demonstrate that I was a top hire at work, while also managing the hardest job I’d ever had, caregiving. However, I’m only human. I needed a break and I quickly came to terms with it. My manager and team were very supportive and allowed me the flexibility to work from home and from the hospital a lot. I also made sure to dedicate time for restoration: meditation, long-hikes, dance classes, listening to music, and more self-care practices. I became extremely diligent about taking care of myself so I could show up for him and for work. I’m grateful to report that there was a happy ending: my boyfriend made a full recovery and I fell in love with myself!

I’ve faced a lot of struggles, and each has tested my resilience. Each has brought me to a deeper love and understanding of myself. The most important relationship in life is the one we have with ourselves. From my experience, the stronger our relationship with ourselves, the more we can show up for others in times of need.

5/ What is something that you are immensely proud of?

More by Her. I care deeply about supporting women artists and creatives. Over the years I’ve advised many creative women on how to make their art a livelihood. However, this year I’ve gotten clarity that it would be most helpful for me to ‘show’ how and not just ‘tell.’

Growing up I didn’t see many examples of women who were independent and in creative fields. The starving artist stereotype was pervasive and a big turn-off for me. I paid my way through college alone, while working. I graduated from Smith College with an Economics degree and I postponed many creative pursuits to focus on reaching financial stability.

However, I’ve been able to navigate a creative career in business. I’ve met so many amazing women who are also creative, independent, and making a livelihood. I want girls to see the options available to them by providing transparency into the lives of creatives and artists. More by Her aims to do just that. Its creative work will premier later this year. Stay tuned!

6/ What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

Intersectionality. That our many identities get a seat at the table. It’s important to More by Her, but I’ve also been thinking about it in regards to improving diversity and inclusion in tech. Supporting D&I work at Google brings me a lot of fulfillment, but also doesn’t feel optional. I have to do it! To sleep soundly, I have to! I also serve as a mentor outside of work, through organizations like Built by Girls.

7/ Favorite food?

Sweet potatoes.

8/ Favorite book?

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It dissects ‘success’ by looking at the often unaccounted opportunities and circumstances that affect people’s achievement.

9/ If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

I’d be a music video director for one of my favorite artists. I work in the art of storytelling, and I think music videos are an underutilized space for artists to create positive change.

10/ If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

“You are strong, independent, and powerful; now ask for help.” I’m honestly still working on asking for help. It’s advice I need to hear continuously.

Urpi Pariona (she/her)

Urpi was born in Peru and grew up in Chicago. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Yale University. After college, she joined President Obama's campaign team in 2012 as Regional Hispanic Press Secretary for Virginia and Ohio. Having developed an expertise in Hispanic voters, Urpi joined Google as a digital consultant, connecting Fortune 500 companies with multicultural audiences including African-American, Asian-American, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Urpi then decided to leave Google to get her MBA at The Wharton School, after which she is hoping to transition to a product-focused role through which she can continue advocating for all users. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with the Wharton Social Impact Consulting Club and mentoring Latina college students at UPenn.

After the OFA campaign, she received a couple of offers. One from President Obama’s press team and another one from Google’s start-up multicultural sales team. She turned down the White House offer for three reasons. First, she wanted a job that would offer her the greatest opportunity for growth, greatest resources for personal development, and largest scale for impact. Secondly, having seen how the use of analytics and digital platforms can make a positive impact in donations and voter turnout, she wanted to learn more about how technology could empower minorities and other communities around the world. Thirdly, she wanted an industry that aligned with her personal skills. She excelled working with large learning curves, constant change, and ambitious targets. The public sector isn’t known for quick changes, but tech is.

“I helped to organize a group at Google that advocated for using technology to empower all voters during the 2016 presidential election. It was comprised of individuals across the organization (advertising, engineering, marketing, etc). We advocated for Google to make search products available in other languages in addition to English. As a result, the One Box with voting information was released in Spanish and Chinese. I will never forget showing my mother how she could now type “where to vote” in Spanish and she’d be able to get directions to the nearest polling place and study the ballot questions. At least 20 million Spanish dominant Hispanics living in the US now had access to this information in Spanish and could become better-educated voters. This experience reminded me of the unparalleled scale of impact we have in the technology sector.”

Source of inspiration: Last semester in business school, my executive coach taught me to identify activities that give me energy and activities that deplete me of that energy. I figured out that painting, playing the guitar, working out, meditating, and volunteering are activities that give me energy. Whenever I do these, I lose track of time and after I finish I feel replete, ready to share that positive energy with others. I have since set time aside each day to pursue one of these activities for at least an hour.

Book recommendation: When I was an adolescent, full of dreams and ideals, my favorite book was The Alchemist. When I was unemployed and struggling to overcome a major life failure, my favorite book became Steve Job’s biography by Walter Isaacson. When I joined President Obama’s campaign, my favorite book became Dreams of My Father. When I was looking to strengthen my mind and find focus, my favorite book became Autobiography of a Yogi.

Rose Garcia (she/her)

Rose Garcia’s work on the Chrome Accessibility team mirrors her commitment to making tech more inclusive. A rising junior at Oregon State University majoring in Computer Science, she works on the Gender Inclusiveness Magnifier (GenderMag) project for improving software usability for all. Her commitment to inclusion stems from her own experiences.

"The summer after my junior year of high school, I competed in an all-girls hackathon in San Francisco. I had only taken one computer science course and wasn't very confident in my ability to contribute to any sort of project. I was nervous I wouldn't fit in, that everyone else would be a better programmer than me. Despite the nerves, by the end of the day I was part of the winning team. I absolutely couldn't wait to do more hackathons. The friends I competed with had been supportive when I struggled to get the project to work and I got to experience what it was like to program on a team. I knew almost immediately that I was lucky enough to find something that I love to do.”

Source of Inspiration: Dance, especially hula

Book Recommendation: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Sue Valdivia (she/her)

Sue was born in Chosica, Peru, and moved to the U.S. at age 13. With a double major in Finance and International Business under her belt, and now pursuing an MBA at NYU Stern, Sue is excited to be working for Google, a company she sees as dedicated to making information available to everyone in the world.

Source of Inspiration: Sue’s grandmother is a pharmaceutical chemist, a professor, and the mother of five children. Not only that, she also started her own business and has traveled to five continents. This is an extraordinary achievement, given that, at the time she did this, women in Peru were supposed to stay at home, cook, and clean for their families. When asked why she never learned how to cook, she responded, “I have three graduate degrees.” Her favorite piece of advice when someone asks if they should pursue a different career path or go somewhere they’ve never been is, “If not now, when?”

Book Recommendation: Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Hidai Olivas-Holguin (she/her)

As a young girl, Hidai loved problem solving and math. During her sophomore year of high school, her advisor encouraged her to take an introduction to Python class. At the time, she had no idea what coding was, but she soon found out it was something she enjoyed. Her passion for computer science classes through the rest of high school led her to select it as a major at MIT. However, when she got to MIT, she started feeling imposter syndrome. To counteract this, she leaned on her support system back home and found a community at MIT, aiding her in quieting that negative voice in her head.

“Getting into MIT is my proudest moment. The year leading up to it was probably the hardest of my life. Junior year of high school, my mom’s cancer returned, and the summer before my senior year, my grandma passed away suddenly. This was around the time that everyone was worried about college, and I had no idea how the application process worked. I didn’t even know that people studied for the SATs until a week before I was supposed to take mine.

So, I was figuring out how to apply to college on top of stepping up my role as big sister. I never felt alone, and that was what helped me get through that year. My parents have always encouraged me to dream big. They immigrated from Mexico in pursuit of the American dream, and it always pushed me to work harder because I knew what they sacrificed. So, getting into MIT wasn’t only for me, but something that made everyone around me proud. Many happy tears were shed that day.”

Source of inspiration: Her parents. Even though they don’t fully grasp what being a software engineer is, they have never let Hidai feel discouraged. They immigrated from Mexico in pursuit of the American dream for their children. This has, as a result, pushed Hidai to work even harder to make them proud.

Book Recommendation: How Women Rise by Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen

Isabel Céspedes (she/her)

Isabel “Isa” Céspedes is an Artist, Event Producer, Diversity and Inclusion Creative Strategist, and the Creative Director for Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech. Her interactive experiences provide safe spaces for Black women to come together as tech professionals to exchange ideas and support community professional growth. Originally from Oakland, Isa brings the rich tradition of Black art and socio-political dialogue to her work drawing cultural connections to the collective histories of Black women from across the African diaspora.

What’s a challenge you’ve faced and how did you get through it?

I am a first-generation Cuban-American. Both of my parents are political refugees to the United States, which has greatly influenced my outlook on life. I’ve been examining my family’s story, the trauma of familial separation and its effects on my ability to confidently envision a life for myself outside of what came before me. I think this is a common experience for many children of immigrants; we often think about our family’s collective survival before our own desires. It can breed self-doubt. So for me, one of my greatest challenges has been nurturing the faith to leap beyond the path my folks laid out for me to dream even further. My ancestors were resilient, and every day that I remember their resilience is in my DNA, I can tap into it to create new possibilities.

What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?

Im really proud of the work I am doing with Sista Circle. I’ve been blessed to witness some incredibly meaningful moments of community recently. They have inspired me to continue pushing the boundaries of how we think about inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

Gabriela Martinez (she/her)

Gabriela Martinez (she/her) is a Growth Sales Director at Vox Media, focused on breaking new business and creating new advertising revenue streams. She has ten years of sales experience working in media and entertainment, specifically within high growth digital companies. Prior to her current role, she was based out of Sydney, Australia helping BuzzFeed build their APAC business. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the ever-changing landscape of online media — from the early days of streaming video on demand (SVOD) during her time at Hulu to evangelizing global branded content partnerships and beyond.

Gabriela earned a Masters in Business Administration from NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business, with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Boston College, with a major in Communications and Studio Art. Outside of work, you can often find her traveling abroad and spending time with her partner, Nick, and their puppy, Lemmy.

1/ When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

To be honest, the tech life found me! I knew I was interested in Media after having interned at HBO in college. I found it challenging and fun from a personal standpoint, and being in the know of pop culture was interesting to me. During my first job at ESPN, I saw that media consumption habits were changing, specifically with television losing viewership to online portals. At the time, Netflix was disrupting its own business and the media industry by offering streaming video alongside its long standing DVD rental service. An old coworker told me about this new player on the scene called Hulu. I looked around my then television-based office and knew that I wanted to be a part of something different. So I joined the small Hulu team in New York, and the rest is history.

From a personal standpoint, being a part of the build is what I find extremely satisfying. That’s the thing about tech — if you’re doing something right, then you’re always building and pushing past the status quo.

2/ Who is a role model that you look up to?

My mother has always been that person that I wanted to emulate. She immigrated to the United States when she was 17, during the early 1970s while El Salvador was in civil war. Without speaking the language and being a foreign child from little means, she was able to create an amazing life for herself and my father. She worked hard, learned English, and went to college. She’s been a teacher for decades now, impacting the lives of children in New York City public schools. I have always been able to look at her and say to myself, “Wow, if she can do all of that with what she started with, I should be able to conquer it all.”

3/ Where is your hometown?

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

4/ What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

Since both of my parents were teachers, education was the highest priority in our home. I was fortunate enough to attend The Lawrenceville School for high school, which is a prestigious boarding school in New Jersey. Though those years were some of the best in my life, it was also the first time that I truly felt like an outsider. At the time, I was one of very few Latin students in the school, let alone Latin women.

I struggled to feel comfortable in my own skin, while in a predominantly wealthy and white community. It took years for me to stop looking outward to find validation. As I matured, I realized that what made me different, both culturally and socio-economically, made my point of view unique. That high school experience prepared me for the tech industry, where women of color are vastly underrepresented. As one of them, I have to dig deep often and find my own validation by knowing I am more than qualified to have a seat at the table.

5/ What is something that you are immensely proud of?

I decided to get my MBA during my time at Hulu. I also knew that I didn’t want to leave the company because we were doing something innovative and seeing growing success. So, I opted to go to NYU part-time.

The concept of going to school for three or four years to get a two year degree wasn’t an option for me, so I met with a Stern academic counselor at school and walked through what an accelerated program would look like for me. Essentially, it would mean I would be working full time, and going to school full time by dedicating my night and weekends (winter and summer semesters included) for two years straight. I decided to take the challenge on, and was one of the first students to pioneer what is now Sterns’ accelerated MBA program.

I’m proud of this for so many reasons. First, I became the first person in my family to get a Master’s degree. Secondly, Latinx students constitute a small percentage of total enrollment for MBA programs. And lastly, I was able to help build a new part of the part-time MBA program that wasn’t established before.

6/ What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

The representation of women of color in leadership positions in our industry. Though this always seems to be on the broader diversity agendas of Fortune 500 companies, the examples of them turning to reality are few and far between. As an industry, we have to be more dedicated to diversifying our hires, because different and unique experiences bring new ideas and processes. Qualified candidates exist, we just have to ensure that they are included in the conversation.

7/ Favorite food?

Pizza!

8/ Favorite book?

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

9/ If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

An astronaut. Dedicating your life to space exploration must be so challenging and so insanely rewarding. Who wouldn’t want to go on a mission to the moon or Mars?

10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

Focus less on what you think others want from you and more on what you want for yourself.

Marianne Abreu (she/her)

Marianne Abreu (she/her) is a UX designer at YouTube/Google. She has 15 years of experience working at startups, agencies and fortune 500 companies as a design lead. Prior to her current role, she was a product designer at Samsung. Her work has influenced multiple generations of Samsung TVs, smart displays, smart home products, and smartphones.

Outside of work, she has been involved in art projects and exhibitions from painting to interactive installations. She earned a Master’s Degree in Design Strategy and Management from Parsons School of Design and a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Brasilia.

1. When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

As a child, I was fascinated by computer graphics. I remember being mesmerized by screensavers. At the age of 11, I learned about design as a profession in a magazine and two years later, I found myself building websites. I almost feel as if I was born for this job. My dad had an influence on this as well, I remember him telling me that computers were the future. He was right. I jumped into the tech industry and let it take me to new lands, including moving to Silicon Valley in 2012.

2. Who is a role model that you look up to?

So many people have influenced me throughout my life! If had to choose one person who affected my career the most, that would definitely be my dad. He taught me how to use computers and how to code when I was still a little girl. He encouraged me to explore and to not be afraid to try. I owe him so much for teaching me those early lessons.

3. Where is your hometown?

I grew up in Brasilia, Brazil and later moved to Rio. Now I have been living in San Francisco for 5 years.

4. What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

What’s life without struggle? The first truth of Buddhism is: life is suffering. I can’t challenge Buddha on this one. Struggles have appeared in my life several times. I have had to learn to be feisty and resilient to continue on the journey. I have encountered struggles in almost every mile: as a woman in tech facing sexism, learning a new language and culture, facing discrimination as a person of color. I see myself as a warrior that fights no matter how blunt the sword is. My self-confidence has been challenged every time people discouraged me, “I don’t think you would be able to do this” or “You are not ready for that” or “This is too complex/difficult for you.” I’m so glad that I never let them stop me.

5. What is something that you are immensely proud of?

“Inspire to be inspired” is my motto. One of the things that inspire me the most are TED Talks. I can spend hours watching them. It is such an inspiration boost. In 2009, I was fortunate enough to meet a group of people that were as passionate about them as I was, and together we worked hard to bring TED to Brazil. In 2010, we organized the first TEDx in Rio. It was huge! We managed to get sponsorship, which allowed us to bring in some brilliant minds. The event was entirely free and livestreamed. We later brought that experience to the favelas in Rio. I was astonished. Bringing inspiration and education to my community made me feel immensely proud.

6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

I have been thinking a lot about how much we can bring our whole selves to work.

7. Favorite food?

Brazilian cheese bread and Açai bowl!

8. Favorite book?

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Completely mind-blowing.

9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

I would like to be a Yoga teacher for a day. Maybe I will do that one day.

10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

“Focus on systems, not goals.”

Cristina Costa (she/her)

Cristina Costa (she/her) has been working in the technology industry in Boston for the past 4 years. She started her tech journey at PayPal and later worked at HubSpot as a consultant and at a startup called Lendbuzz as a digital marketing manager. Cristina is the co-chair of an organization called Women with Purpose, which empowers women of color through a series of professional development seminars and events in the Boston area.

Cristina is also passionate about increasing access to educational resources for all. She is a recent graduate of the 2018 New Leaders Council Fellowship, which provided her with the tools necessary to run politically progressive campaigns. Most recently, Cristina worked as the Director of Marketing and Student Engagement at Duet, an ed tech organization whose mission is to provide affordable bachelor’s and associate’s degrees to low-income adults in the Boston area. Cristina cares deeply about racial and gender equality and hopes to create more opportunities for people of color in the constantly expanding tech space.

1. When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

I didn’t decide to work in the tech industry, I sort of fell into it. I had been working in higher education as an international student advisor and thought that I wanted to go back to school to earn my MBA. At the time, I was very unhappy in my workplace and didn’t enjoy my courses, so I decided to transition back into marketing and advertising, which is what I had studied in college. When I started my job search, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that her company, PayPal, was hiring for an advertising operations position. I reached out to her and ended up landing the job! Working at PayPal exposed me to all of the opportunity that the tech vertical provides and I have been working in tech ever since.

2. Who is a role model that you look up to?

I have always looked up to my mother. She moved to the US from Guatemala at 16 years old without speaking a word of English. She not only survived, but she became the first woman in the family to attend college. My mother has always been the backbone of our family and my strongest supporter.

3. Where is your hometown?

I was born in Cambridge and Somerville, but I was raised in Hyde Park, Boston.

4. What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

After college, I was accepted into a program called JET Programme (Japan Exchange Teaching Program) and I moved to Japan all by myself. I didn’t know anyone in the program and I didn’t have family or friends close by. I took this opportunity so that I could explore the world and get out of my comfort zone. My first few months in Japan were very difficult. I lived alone in a rural town, didn’t speak the language and felt so alone, but I survived. I managed to acclimate to the culture and made some amazing friends along the way. After that experience, I know that I can survive ANYWHERE.

5. What is something that you are immensely proud of?

One of my proudest moments was when I became more involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives within the tech industry. I helped start an employee resource group (ERG) at HubSpot called POCAH (People of Color at HubSpot), which created diversity initiatives and mentorship programs for employees of color.

During that time, I also began volunteering at an organization called Resilient Coders, which taught students of color how to code, where I helped with recruiting and placing these graduates in positions in tech. My proudest moment was when I referred and trained a recent Resilient Coder graduate and helped him land a job at HubSpot! I truly enjoy empowering other people, especially marginalized groups that might not have had the opportunity otherwise.

6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

POLITICS. I am beyond disappointed and disgusted with the current administration and how the laws being implemented are affecting minorities and especially immigrants in this country.

7. Favorite food?

Pad Thai or pretty much any type of Thai food!

8. Favorite book?

The Alchemist.

9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

I have secretly always wanted to be a singer! If I could try a job for a day, I would want to be Beyonce and sing and dance at the On The Run tour with Jay-Z!

10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

I would tell her to trust her instincts, believe in herself, surround herself with positive people, and that it’s okay to put yourself first.

Karina Canales (she/her)

Karina Canales is a Sales Insights Manager at Google. Prior to Google, she had six years of experience in digital marketing and business intelligence at a Peruvian bank. She holds an MBA from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, with a major in Statistics, Marketing, and Management, as well as a Master’s degree in Marketing from Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. She received a degree in Systems Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (Peru).

1. When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

My passion for technology started at the age of nine through a course in school in which I discovered computers and it was love at first sight. This passion has developed throughout the years. By the time I was 13, I had created my own website on rented computers. When I was 15, I asked my parents for a computer instead of the traditional 15-year-old birthday party. Although my first PC was second-hand, it was the best present I ever received. At the age of 18, I had my first blog, one of the first ones in Peru back in 2004. I loved interacting with people from all over the globe. This was one of the reasons that I studied Systems Engineering. Since then, technology has driven my work experience.

2. Where is your hometown?

I grew up in Mala, a small town in the outskirts of Lima.

3. What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

When I finished school, I decided to apply to the college with the most difficult admissions test in Peru: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) to study Systems Engineering. Their annual admissions test is taken exclusively to be accepted into UNI and lasts a total of nine hours over the course of three days. Furthermore, UNI is a public school and the best college to study Engineering in Peru, so it is in very high demand. The UNI admission test is so difficult to pass that there are institutes that specialize in helping prospective students prepare for it.

I spent the whole summer after graduating from high school studying for the exam an institute. In February 2003, I took the admissions test and did not pass it. The competition was steep and the admittance rate in my major that year was less than 5%. I felt terrible. Not only had I failed to get into college, but I felt that I had disappointed my parents. They told me they understood that the test was very difficult, but I knew that they were concerned because they had no money to pay for a private school education and I could have just lost the opportunity to earn a college degree.

Right then, I made a decision: I would apply to UNI again the next year. I studied all day, every day for the entire year. I gave up all the activities of a normal 17-year-old girl. Three months later, I won a scholarship at the institute due to my strong grades. From that moment on, my parents never had to pay for my education again. In February 2004, I took the test again and succeeded.

I entered UNI with the 1st place in my major and 3rd place overall among all 8,000 applicants! In addition, I won a full five-year scholarship granted by the German corporation Siemens after a selection process which included interviews and additional exams. I learned that I must have a clear objective, define a strategy, and focus all my efforts on the goal to achieve it. Furthermore, I realized that hard work leads to big rewards.

4. What is something that you are immensely proud of?

I feel very proud of my experience in the non-governmental organization (NGO) Un Techo para mi País (similar to Habitat for Humanity). I joined as a volunteer in 2007 when a college friend told me about this new initiative to build housing for the poorest people in my country and to implement a plan to help them achieve an economically self-sustaining community.

A month later, on August 15th, an earthquake destroyed several cities in Peru, causing them to go into a state of emergency. The most affected town was Pisco. Many volunteers were called to go into the disaster area but only a few had experience in building houses, so I took the role of construction leader. We travelled to Pisco by ship because all access roads were destroyed. When we arrived, the outlook was bleak. Everything was destroyed, hundreds of people had died, and thousands more were left homeless.

The goal of my team was to build 3 houses in 4 days. A house takes 2 days of work so we had to do what would typically be a 6-day job in just 4 day, with no experienced volunteers! It was a difficult challenge but not impossible. I focused on the goal and conveyed it to the team clearly. We worked hard every day from 7 AM to midnight. The area in which we worked had no electricity, so we used candles for light. We slept outdoors in sleeping bags and had to eat only soup for days. I proved to myself that I am persistent and can do my best even in extreme situations.

At the end of the 4 days we achieved the goal! All the teams combined built more than 100 houses benefiting over 500 people. After this amazing experience, I continued to lead construction teams for 4 more years in various cities throughout Peru.

5. Favorite food?

Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken. I have a tradition of eating it every year in my birthday.

6. Favorite book?

One day I found a book in my mom’s library called More Than One Thousand Problems of Algebra and I loved it! I liked solving those problems more than watching TV or playing any game. Thanks to this book, my passion for math grew and at the age of 8, I won my first national math contest.

7. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

I can summarize my advice in 7 tips:

1. Be humble, even genius people have a lot to learn. One learns more by asking and listening than talking.

2. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Share what it is on your mind and your accomplishments. “More important that knowing is communicating properly what you know”.

3. Surround yourself with positive people. People who believe in you and in your dreams.

4. Find a mentor for every goal you have. Nobody can give you better guidance than someone who has already accomplished the goal you want to achieve.

5. Take a 5-min break every day to think about your true purpose. Why do you do what you’re doing? No wrong answers here. The key is to remember every day what your motivation is and then get back to work.

6. Prioritize yourself and your future. You will always have opportunities to explore the world and do crazy things, but if you keep your dream/motivation in mind, you will prioritize your future over your present. If you don’t do it, nobody else will do it for you.

7. Do all of the above with a smile, always. Smiling makes you more approachable, friendly, and happy. Smiling will not only help you achieve your goals but it will also help you enjoy the journey.

Jess Candido Webb (she/her)

Jess Webb (she/her) is an Executive Summit Manager at Google. She has over seven years of experience in the event planning arena and coordinates content and logistics for an average of 200 events per year.

Born and raised in Brazil, Jess is a first-generation college student and proud member of the LGBT* community.

Event planning is Jess’s way to create opportunities for people from traditionally underrepresented communities to have the platform and safe environment to share ideas, create strong networks, and execute progressive change.

Jess spends her time outside of work playing competitive European Team Handball, hanging out with her friends, doing outdoor activities with her beagle Dash, and traveling.

1. When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?

Growing up in a small countryside town of Brazil, I always felt that the environmental field was my true calling. After graduating from the top university in South America, UNICAMP, with a BS in Environmental Control Technology, I knew I had to learn English to have a chance at building a solid and successful career.

Coming from a humble low-income family, the only way that I was able to pursue my dream of English immersion in the USA was through an interexchange program. I shared this dream with my mom, and although surprised, she was very supportive. My mom saved everything she could, and that combined with the little money that I was able to save through working in the University labs, I was able to pay and apply for an Au Pair program.

This program consisted of taking care of host families’ children while going to school, learning English, traveling, and experiencing American culture. After spending 2 years in the program, I started to look for a job in the Environmental Field. I applied for over 30 positions and received zero offers. Literally zero. In order to pay my bills, I started working as a nanny, organizer, personal assistant, you name it. I was working up to 3 jobs at the same time.

One day, I was lucky to be introduced to Judy Crawford, the Founder of a Marketing, Events & Communications company that was based in Cupertino. Since my English was not yet at a professional level, Judy made a huge investment in me by hiring me onto her team. That is where my journey in tech began.

I worked for the Crawford Group for nearly 4 years. I wore just about every hat in the company, which provided me with an opportunity to diversify my skill set. I was able to learn from the most amazing people in the events and marketing field. I also gained exposure to larger companies like Cisco, Adobe, and several others. All the early morning and late night hours of hard work at Crawford paid off greatly. With a strong foundation, I was able to land a 1 year contract dream position at Google, which eventually became a full-time offer.

2. Who is a role model that you look up to?

I have been struggling a lot to reply this question because I simply can’t follow the directions to name just one. It wouldn’t be fair.

My mom Gislaine was a young single mother. By the time she was 25, she had two little girls to take care of and to provide for. She abdicated the right to watch her two little girls grow up in order to financially support us the best she could. She lived and worked in the city and would travel on weekends to my hometown to spend the little free time she had with me and my sister. For years we would only see her a few weekends each month.

My mom was working so hard, with no support whatsoever from my dad, who abandoned my family when I was 3 years old. My grandparents took the role of caregivers. My late grandpa Vicente would walk my sister and I to school every day. He taught us how to pursue joy in life. It was from him that I learned to bike, use the swing set, jump rope, do handstands, etc. He transferred to me his passion for sports and outdoor activities and as my grandma would always say: “he is just a big kid”.

My grandma Doris was the heart of house, preparing every meal every single day from scratch; as she still does at the age of 91. She taught us how to take care of ourselves, clean, cook, wash clothes, lookout for each other and our cousins. Her unconditional love for us and for the entire family is something that I believe I will only truly understand when I have a family of my own.

My mission in life is to make my mom and my grandparents proud, and to make my life worthy of their sacrifices.

3. Where is your hometown?

São João da Boa Vista, São Paulo, Brazil. My hometown is located 3.5 hours from São Paulo city.

4. What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?

I grew up in Brazil, which is still a very sexist, conservative and extremely homophobic country. Being straight was the only acceptable option. I was raised in an ordinary Italian/Catholic family, where subjects like sex and sexuality were taboo and not open for discussion. End of story.

Growing up in an environment where being gay is not an option, I simply ignored the subject and moved on with my life. Even though I was surrounded by a few lesbians who played on my hometown handball team, I always dated boys. It never occurred to me that I may feel the same way they did because I simply couldn’t relate to their physical expression.

The LGBTQ+ community has always been an extremely marginalized group in my town. The label of a lesbian has a stereotypical connotation that you are more masculine in the way you look and behave. That just was not me. I dressed in shorts, t-shirts, and had my hair in a ponytail often, but I also loved to put high heels, a dress, and makeup on; so how could I be gay?

You might be asking yourself, “but Jess, how about the college experience?”. Forget about it! There was no college experience. My friend circles were always straight. After moving to the USA, it was more of the same. Marrying a man was the most natural thing to do, right?

So I did get married and at that time in my life, I could not have chosen a better person or family. They took me in as one of their own and they supported me in everything I pursued. Life was good. Years passed and I had a sense that something was still missing but I didn’t know what it was.

On my 30th birthday, my best friends and ex-husband took me to Vegas to celebrate. After a long night in a club, I danced with a girl. I was very shy and towards the end the girl grabbed my face and kissed me. After that, I realized what was missing and I fought like hell against it. I couldn’t be gay. I didn’t want to be gay. I had something good going for me.

Reality is, there are some things about who we are that we cannot choose. After months of struggling, I was finally brave enough to come out to my ex-husband. He supported me in a way that I never expected. He helped me through the coming out process, wiping many tears off of my face, and assuring me that we would be fine and that I was going to be fine.

I will always be grateful to him and his family for their support and love in the most difficult time of my life. The process was not easy, but I am who I am and I love who I am. My friends and colleagues were also there for me. They showed me more love and respect than someone could ask for in a lifetime. My family came around after some time and realized that at the end of the day, I am now just a more authentic version of myself.

5. What is something that you are immensely proud of?

There are two distinct times in my life that I remember being proud of my own accomplishments.

The first time was when I was accepted into university. The school system in Brazil is very different than in the USA. In Brazil, the public universities are the best options and regardless of how well you did in high school, every single student has to pay and go through a series of week long tests. It is almost impossible to get in if you didn’t study your entire life in private middle and high schools. I was fortunate to be involved and skilled in sports. Although I was able to land a scholarship to play handball in one of the best academic high schools in town, that was not enough.

After high school, I tried to get into the university and I did not pass. So I took a year off of handball and studied every day for hours. After going through all the tests, you wait. The results go out on the internet or the state newspaper. I didn’t have a computer with internet at my house, so my mom who was working in a different town was supposed to call me to let me know if I had passed or not. When the phone rang I told my sister to pick up and she said: “Stop, just pick it up and deal with whatever results you got”. So, I did.

On the other side, in between tears I heard my mom saying: “You made it, you made it”. I was not capable of saying anything. I just started to cry. My sister hugged me and cried with me. I could hear my mom crying on the other end of the line and her colleagues congratulating her. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

The second time I felt really proud of myself was definitely when I got the contract position at Google. It was my third time interviewing with Google. At that point, getting denied twice before, my prospects were not good, but as they say, the third time’s a charm! When I got the email from the recruiter offering me the position, what I experienced was pure joy and happiness. I had a certainty that once again all my hard work was being rewarded and I was in fact living a life worthy of my family’s sacrifices.

6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

I commute 2.5 hours to work each day. This is negatively impacting my quality of life. I am moving closer to work in the next few weeks and looking forward to using the extra time to do more of the things I love.

7. Favorite food?

It changes, but currently ramen and always açaí bowls (not like the new kind available at Costco, as it does not taste the same as the ones in Brazil).

8. Mac or PC?

Mac for sure

9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

Professional athlete. Everybody around me knows about my love for sports and mainly European Team Handball, so perhaps if I was at least 5’10” I would have invested more in this other dream.

10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

I would tell her that it is ok to make mistakes. You don’t have to try to please everyone all the time and that it is ok if things are not clean and organized at all times (that’s something I still try to tell myself every day).

I would tell her to be more brave, to not waste time with broken relationships and friendships. I was told to surround myself with people who will help me be more successful; those with wealth and status. But I would tell my 18 year old self to surround herself with people with a good heart, and that would be enough.

I would tell her to trust more in the people who love her. Trust that they will love her regardless of her choices, regardless of her sexuality, and regardless of her career.

Finally, to always believe in herself, be positive and know that with hard work and determination she can accomplish things that she never dreamed of.

Xiomara Contreras (she/her)

Read this article on Medium.

Xiomara Contreras is an Associate Product Marketing Manager at Google where she builds strategies and campaigns for the small business team. Her work focuses on increasing the number of multicultural businesses that are online by helping them grow with Google products. She graduated from Northwestern University with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Latina/o Studies. She is a proud Chicagoan and attended a boarding school in Concord, Massachusetts. Xiomara is also a first generation college student, and the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She is interested in the intersection of social justice, education, and technology. You can find her painting, drawing, writing memoirs, learning to do digital drawings, and volunteering with organizations the that helped her get to where she is today, including High Jump Chicago, the Daniel Murphy Scholarship fund, and the Pullman Foundation.

1. When did you know you wanted to be in tech?

I never decided that I wanted to be in the tech industry. I thought it was only for engineers and did not think about the business side. I was undecided in college about my career goals, so I applied to the Management Leaders for Tomorrow program to develop professionally and find internship opportunities. My MLT coach pushed me to apply to tech companies, even though I did not believe I had anything to offer to the industry. I knew little about it and was not sure if I would find my passions there. Even so, because of her encouragement, I applied to several tech roles, including the Google BOLD internship. This lead me to a full-time role in marketing, where I am still learning a lot and tackling daily challenges. I am curious to see where my tech and marketing experience takes me in the years to come.

2. Who is a role model that you look up to?

My older sister. Growing up, she faced a lot of obstacles, teachers gave up on her and some of our family members had low expectations of her. Through all of her struggles, my sister was always there for me — taking me to school, cooking food for us, and standing up for me. I was in middle school when she moved out of the house, but she still checked in on me and my little sister. She worked after school and on weekends to help our family, and to support herself now that she was not living with us.

When the local community college kept putting her in remedial courses, she made the choice to do a medical assistant program. Although the program put her in debt, she pushed forward and made what she could from it. I’ve learned from her to stand my ground, be loud, fight, and not let others step on me. Now, she is the mother of two beautiful children that have changed my life, and everyday I wonder how she does it.

3. Where is your hometown?

Chicago.

4. What’s a challenge you’ve faced in your career journey?

I had some difficult years in high school. I attended a boarding school in Massachusetts, starting at the age of 14, and had to adjust to a predominantly white and wealthy institution. I was behind in my education and no longer felt intelligent. Though I had supportive teachers and friends who wanted me to succeed, I still felt like I did not deserve to be there. Why were they dropping over 50K a year on me? I was also weary of sharing my home life with my peers, almost ashamed of where I came from.

During my sophomore year my mother and stepfather divorced, leading to a downward spiral of emotions and financial trouble. During my junior year, my mother got into a car accident, which left her unable to work for a year, and later she could only work a few days per week. I moved five times during high school because of our financial struggles, and during my senior year we were evicted from my grandmother’s house, and then had to figure out how to pay for funeral expenses for both my great grandmother and grandfather within a span of four months.

I felt guilty that nine months out of the year I had stability — a room and three meals a day. Through all of this, I somehow came out of my shell during my junior year and I found strength in my family. I learned that sticking together prevented us from hitting rock bottom; living in cramped apartments with other family members, getting help from my other grandfather, and making sacrifices for one another. Through all my worrying, my mother assured me that things would be okay and that I had to focus on my education. She wanted nothing to get in my way.

5. Describe a time you were proud of yourself.

My proudest moment was giving the graduation speech at the Latinx student congratulatory in college. I was honored to have been nominated and to speak to these beautiful families. Many people in the room were first generation college students, immigrants, and working class people. It was so special to see them in a room celebrating something so revolutionary, so against what this country expected from us. When I gave my speech, I shared my grandmother’s and my mother’s stories. I cried and the audience cried with me. Instead of feeling embarrassed, I felt community and support. I gave the speech in both Spanish and English. I was proud to have been a product of this collective love, of sacrifices, of dreams handed down to children, and of people who chose not to forget where they came from.

6. What’s something that’s been on your mind a lot lately?

Mental health in communities of color, access to resources, and destigmatization. How do we make sure we are not over medicating Black and Brown kids with ADHD, but also make sure they are being recognized and served? How do we open up conversations about depression and anxiety and overcome generational differences and provide free therapy and access to medication? What is the balance here?

7. Favorite food?

My abuelita’s mole rojo.

8. Mac or PC?

Mac.

9. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?

Eighth grade teacher.

10. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?

You are worthy. You are an asset in any room you step into. You are more than your academics. You deserve a break. You need to take care of your mind and body. It is okay to fail. It is okay to not always be strong and let yourself cry and let others hear you cry. You are not everyone’s rock.