Over two months, 50 young women between the ages of 17 and 23 from across Latin America participated in an edition of Chicas en Tecnología’s mentoring program. A free online program that connects young women in our community with female role models in the tech field and related sectors.
Through one-on-one meetings, group activities, and synchronous and asynchronous sessions, participants had the opportunity to share their concerns, set goals, and identify challenges, learn about different career paths, and expand their networks within the tech ecosystem.
The fifty pairs consisted of young women from Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Panama, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia,mentored by volunteer professionals from organizations such as S&P Global, Lenovo, Salesforce, J.P. Morgan, Roche, Monks, ITSitio, and Terra.
Support to help you take your next steps
One of the principal characteristics of the program is the possibility of building a personalized relationship. Each pair had the space to discuss interests, questions,s and goals, and to develop concrete strategies that will help each participant advance in her personal and professional journey.
For some women, this support was particularly focused on entering the workforce. Male, 20, worked with her mentor, Pamela from S&P Global, to prepare for her first job. During the process, they were able to review how to present academic projects as part of her experience and how to make the most of everything she had built during her education.
In the English-Language mentoring sessions, participants were also able to strengthen their communication and technical skills in professional contexts. For Male, this experience also meant gaining the confidence to tackle interviews in another language:
“Today I feel much more prepared and confident to continue on this path on my own.”
The exchange between mentors and mentees allowed them to address specific issues (such as how to prepare for an interview, how to apply for a job, or what companies look for in entry-level candidates), but also to share personal and professional experiences that helped put those lessons into context.
As one of the participants put it: “What I valued most was that, even as she covered the topics and concepts, she supplemented them with her own experience.”.
Finding role models to imagine new possibilities
Mentoring can also be a place to explore possibilities that aren’t yet fully defined.
Avril, a 20-year-old physics student, joined the program with doubts about how to translate a broad degree with multiple possible paths into a professional career. Through conversations with her mentor, she was able to learn about other alternatives and begin to identify ways to connect her education with opportunities within the industry.
“It was advice for everything—whether professional, academic, or personal—helping me realize that I can do much better in what lies ahead.”
In other cases, the mentoring progress was shaped by the need to manage expectations and learn to navigate the process without demanding immediate results. For Aylén, her mentor became a role model who not only shared knowledge but also helped her trust her own pace:
“She helped me a lot. […] She expanded my knowledge, and even when I’d be like, ‘I want to do everything,’ she’d say, ‘Don’t put pressure on yourself—give yourself time.’”
These experiences show that having a close role model can broaden the possibilities a young woman envisions for her future and provide tools for making decisions with greater information and confidence.
A shared learning experience
The mentoring relationship is not only a one-way process. The professionals participating also find an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, share knowledge, and learn from the perspectives of younger generations within these shared spaces.
Camila, Aylén’s mentor, emphasized that the process was also enriching for her and that she was able to learn about herself through the bond they built. Similarly, Susana, a mentor at Salesforce, participated in an initiative of this kind for the first time and described the experience as “an amazing connection.”.
This exchange is part of the program's objective. To create opportunities for growth for both the young women and the professionals who support them, thereby strengthening networks within the tech ecosystem.
The impact of having a support network
The results of this edition reflect the value of this support. 95% met or exceeded the professional and personal goals that they had set for themselves at the start of the mentoring process,meanwhile 100% of the mentees indicated that the experience had a very significant or fairly significant impact on their current plans, projects, or needs.
Beyond these results, each pair created their own space to talk, ask questions, and think about next steps. At the same time, the participants became part of a broader network of young people who share interests and challenges related to their academic and professional development.
For Chicas en Tecnología, creating these opportunities is a part of a broader mission: to expose young women to diverse experiences within the tech ecosystem, strengthen their skills and networks, and support them so they can make decisions about their future with greater confidence and resources..
The Mentoring Program is made possible by the commitment of professionals who volunteer their time and expertise and by the support of companies and organizations that help these connections grow.
Each mentoring relationship creates a space to share experiences, introduce new perspectives, and support a young woman as she forges her own path in technology.
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