Katherine Vergara, PhD student in Engineering Sciences and part of the HAPLAB (Human and Process Research Lab) of the Department of Computer Science, was selected as the 2020 winner in the Game Changer category of the Globant Awards, Women that Built. This award, held at a global level, celebrates women who from different angles seek to change the rules of the game, breaking stereotypes and bringing more women closer to technology, recognizing those who are leading a positive change in the IT industry.
The process, which involves an external nomination to later be selected by the committee of experts in each country, recognized the contribution that Katherine, through the Ingeniosa project, where she acts as Director of Educational Content, in seeking to encourage more vocations in STEM in girls from Latin America. For Vergara, Ingenieros is “where I think I can generate more impact, helping girls to discover technology and how this can be a development tool, especially generating technological appropriation in them, that they are not only users, but also creators of technology and can contribute to global innovation ”.
Vergara, whose lines of research revolve around Educational Technology with a gender perspective, imagines a greater participation of women considering the full scope that the word “more women from regions, different socioeconomic levels, different ethnic groups, trans, indigenous people implies. Diverse women, in all the wonderful that diversity means, finding different voices and forming much more creative and innovative teams.
Regarding the future, Vergara thanked the support of the Globant committee and all who supported her application, being an inspiration to continue contributing to greater female participation in STEM, noting “when I speak with girls and young people, I tell them that I have no talent in special, but I work hard, hard and I don't stop when I make a mistake or fail and that is what is going to help them have a career in technology, it does not matter if they are the only ones at the work table or classroom, what The important thing is that they believe in themselves, continue and tell themselves that this is something they want and go out and get it ”.