The way forward for expertise is vibrant, particularly after the resounding success of the seventh annual Cisco Women Energy Tech, held on the Cisco campus in Richardson, Texas, on April 17, 2025!
This impactful occasion linked 73 vibrant younger college students with the huge potential of STEM, supported by 13 devoted educators. These proficient contributors hail from Cisco Networking Academy colleges, a strategic partnership that permits us to successfully attain and encourage the following era of tech professionals.
What’s Women Energy Tech?
In celebration of Worldwide Women in Data and Communication Know-how (ICT) Day, Cisco Richardson hosts Networking Academies throughout the North Texas Metroplex, providing college students a full day of empowerment, studying, and gratifying actions. This occasion blends inspiring talks, hands-on labs, mentorship, and networking into an attractive and academic expertise.
Women Energy Tech is extra than simply an occasion. It’s a motion devoted to empowering women and younger ladies to pursue careers in expertise and bridge the gender hole in STEM. We’re cultivating the following era of innovators, problem-solvers, and tech leaders.
A day of inspiration and exploration
Inspiring messages
The day kicked off with an inspiring keynote tackle from Melissa Kraft, the CIO of the Metropolis of Frisco. She shared her tech journey, highlighting its energy and boundless alternatives, and delivered a profound message to the younger ladies:
“Tech is highly effective. YOU make it significant. Bear in mind, you belong on this house.”
—Melissa Kraft, CIO, Metropolis of Frisco
Constructing on this momentum, the women then engaged in a considerate dialogue, sharing their private inspirations and what sparks their curiosity throughout the world of expertise.
Following the keynote, Veronica Valladarez, Cisco Account Govt – Portfolio, delivered an inspiring tackle.
She vividly shared the outstanding story of Cisco co-founder Sandy Lerner and her resilient journey of turning adversity into a brand new, profitable enterprise. Veronica then linked this to the women’ potential via her empowering message:
“Rejection is simply redirection. True innovators make NEW worlds when the outdated ones don’t settle for them.”
—Veronica Valladarez, Account Govt, Cisco Portfolio
Her phrases deeply resonated, fostering self-belief and resilience to encourage the younger ladies to worth their distinctive views.
Participating actions
To interrupt the ice and foster connections, the attendees participated in a energetic Networking Bingo Sport. This enjoyable and interactive exercise inspired college students to step exterior their consolation zones, meet new folks, and uncover shared pursuits, constructing a supportive and collaborative environment proper from the beginning.
To offer our vibrant younger attendees a style of various aspects of expertise and join them with inspiring position fashions, we ran our labs and velocity mentoring periods in a dynamic rotation.
- AI Lab: Suited to Victory – Younger minds explored the fundamentals of synthetic intelligence via a hands-on experiment. On this exercise, they skilled a mannequin to categorise fits of playing cards utilizing their webcam. They explored how algorithms study, experimented with picture recognition software program, and even brainstormed how AI may very well be used to unravel real-world issues.
- Sphero Lab: Maze Mayhem – College students discovered to program and management modern programmable robotic balls via a LEGO maze. This hands-on expertise helped foster problem-solving abilities, creativity, and a deeper understanding of programming ideas.
- Velocity Mentoring – This supplied a useful alternative for the scholars to attach with a various group of completed professionals from varied tech fields. The rapid-fire, centered conversations allowed the younger ladies to ask questions, acquire insights into completely different profession paths, and obtain customized recommendation and encouragement.
The day culminated in an Awards ceremony, celebrating the contributors’ enthusiasm, engagement, and newfound data. The grins on the scholars’ faces as they obtained recognition had been a testomony to the occasion’s affect.
Extra than simply tech
Women Energy Tech isn’t nearly technical abilities; it’s about constructing a robust, supportive group the place younger ladies really feel empowered, assured, and know their voices and concepts are valued.
We had been notably moved by the conversations we overheard – women sharing their aspirations and inspiring one another to pursue their desires fearlessly. This sense of camaraderie and mutual help is strictly what Women Energy Tech goals to domesticate.
What attendees mentioned
“My favourite a part of the occasion was getting to attach one-on-one with the unimaginable folks from Cisco. I beloved listening to everybody’s profession trajectories because it gave me a lot perspective—it helped me keep grounded in my very own imaginative and prescient whereas interested by all the probabilities forward. My largest takeaway was the significance of staying open-minded and dedicated to steady studying. I spotted that mindset can open doorways you didn’t even know existed!”
—Jassmin
“I used to be scared, all the time asking myself, ‘What if it’s laborious? However you guys confirmed me what it means to work in expertise and what it will probably do for the folks. You confirmed me that, regardless of my pursuits, tech all the time has a spot for somebody. I thanks for all you might have accomplished!”
—Aaliya
“Thanks for internet hosting this nice occasion. It was inspiring and really helpful. The superb mentors I’ve met via networking have considerably modified my life selections. As an immigrant, I don’t have a lot steering in these facets of my profession, and this occasion was a fantastic alternative for me. Thanks!”
—Nameless Thank-You Notice
Trying forward
Women Energy Tech 2025 was an funding sooner or later. It was a day when younger ladies found their potential, linked with position fashions, and realized {that a} profession in expertise isn’t solely doable but in addition extremely thrilling and significant. The power and enthusiasm witnessed all through the day left little question that the way forward for tech is in vibrant arms. We will’t wait to see the superb issues these younger ladies will obtain!
To make sure the continued success and development of this annual Women Energy Tech occasion, we persistently want devoted leaders to help with coordination, supportive companions to fund participating actions, and impactful audio system to encourage our attendees.
In case you are excited about getting concerned, e-mail us.
Thanks to everybody who made it doable
Our honest gratitude to The Batiste Venture for our Tech labs, and to our Cisco Inclusive Neighborhood sponsors, Girls in Science and Engineering (WISE) and Conexión LatinX Community.
A heartfelt because of the 13 devoted educators, two inspiring audio system, 40 enthusiastic volunteers, 11 dedicated Women Energy Tech leaders, and particularly the sensible women who participated. You all introduced the imaginative and prescient of Women Energy Tech to life.
What was your favourite a part of Women Energy Tech 2025? Share your ideas and pictures utilizing #GirlsPowerTech2025!
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