Token of Appreciation to all Supporters

"To the People in My Life,

Thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without every single one of you. I am blessed to have met you all.

Whether you are a family member, friend, teacher, or mentor, at some point in my life, you believed in me. You believed I could reach the stars. You believed I had the tenacity, passion, and courage to do anything I set my mind to.

Never did you think of me as inadequate, frail, or destined to be submissive. Not once did you perceive me as too loud, too bossy, or too ambitious. Not once did you doubt my abilities to pursue a career in technology.

Instead, you supported me. You encouraged me to become the woman I am today.

For this reason, I dedicate this post to you, and to those women that people like you have empowered.

I dedicate this post to those who, despite societal norms, stand their ground. To those who believe in themselves and fight for what represents them. To those that advocate for themselves and inspire others. To those role models and heroes I look up to every day.

I dedicate this post to the women in my life and around the world. I want to be just like you and incline others to, as you have taught me, let their voices be heard.

For this reason, I joined Re-sonate.

On March 30th, Re-sonate, a collegiate organization at the University of Texas at Austin, will host a day long convention for women interested in technology. During the event, members will have the unique opportunity to interact with people of different backgrounds related to technology (such as business, design, software, hardware, and more!). After the event, members will leave with technical experience and professional skills acquired from a series of talks and workshops. But most importantly, members will leave empowered from the experience as a whole.

I invite you to learn more about the event and of ways that you can help by visiting our website at re-sonate.wixsite.com/tech. Here you can learn more about the program, including how influential companies like Google and Arm are involved, and, most importantly, how you can register. Seats are filling up quickly, so please reserve yours as soon as possible! The Re-sonate team is excited to hear from you.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me through Facebook direct message. I will be delighted to help you in any way I can. We appreciate your time, and hope to see you on March 30th!"

-Paulina Vazquez-Pena, Third-Year ECE Student