UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — To date, more than 40 Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology alumni from underrepresented backgrounds have participated in IST Identity Talks panel conversations. By sharing their unique perspectives and experiences of navigating the significant diversity gap that exists in the tech industry, alumni are helping to strengthen allyship and prepare listeners for a diverse, global workforce.
Noel Claudio, Class of 2014
IST Identity Talk: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
“Imposter syndrome is real, and it never really fully goes away. No matter how successful you are, or where you are in your career, there’s always going to be something you doubt about yourself. The way you challenge that is by taking mental breathers and reminding yourself that you are where you are for a reason.”
Prerana Dalal, Class of 2008
IST Identity Talk: Women in Tech
“I love to look outside the tech industry because there are shared problems everywhere. It’s inspiring to see more and more women rise to the top and be really good at what they do and to witness how they handle being the only woman in the room and how they stand on their own.”
John Esteves, Class of 2018
IST Identity Talk: LGBTQ+ Pride
“Once, in a job interview, everyone started by introducing their pronouns — making me feel more comfortable about my gender and sexual orientation. Being conscious of those little things is essential to helping people feel comfortable with their own identity and can go a long way for someone who is nervous about being who they are.”
Krista Krebs, Class of 2015
IST Identity Talk: Strength in Diversity
“Today, there are so many resources to create your own experiences. You don’t have to wait for someone to bless you with an opportunity; you can go out there and start doing it yourself. The more time you spend with yourself, listen to our own intuition, and chart your own path, the better off you’re going to be.”
Michelle Ngo, Class of 2012
IST Identity Talk: First-Generation Students
“Being a minority and a woman in IST — there weren’t a lot of us at the time — gave me the opportunity to stand out and learn something new. Since my parents didn’t have the opportunity to attend college, I had to figure things out as I went. It truly does take a village, and I learned that during my time at Penn State.”
Michael Payne, Class of 2020
IST Identity Talk: Military and Veterans in Tech
“Understanding all of the diverse cultural, educational and life experience backgrounds of individuals in your work environment, school group, or the military adds so much value in understanding different ways of thinking.”
Scott Robertson, Class of 2013 (doctorate)
IST Identity Talk: Disability Awareness
“I’ve developed self-advocacy and compensatory skills for social challenges I face due to my autism. I’d try to fit in and pretend to be neurotypical, which hampered my mental health. Now I'm very open about how I interact differently because of my autism. I’m not going to become neurotypical just because I've learned how to camouflage my differences.”
Alex Ross, Class of 2003
IST Identity Talk: Disability Awareness
“When doctors told my parents that I was hearing impaired, my grandfather’s first response was, ‘well, the only person I know who is deaf won the Nobel Peace Prize.’ I had strong support from the beginning. It’s very important for anybody with a disability to have that support structure.”
Jackie Sanchez, Class of 2019
IST Identity Talk: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage
“My dad came to the U.S. from El Salvador with just the clothes on his back and without speaking English. His ability to overcome that and watch his children become successful has given me the motivation to persevere. It’s also inspired me to take the time to understand people’s origins and learn how to pronounce their names correctly. It seems so minor, but it really goes a long way.”
Ankur Sheth, Class of 2004
IST Identity Talk: Strength in Diversity
“For me, something I had to pick up on really quickly once I started working globally was understanding cultural diversity as well as the diversity of the people you’re working with and how that plays into what you are doing.”
Ka’Lee Strawbridge-Moten, Class of 2018
IST Identity Talk: Celebrating Black History
“A lot of times we look at the diversity gap in the industry as a complex problem. But it’s very simple: How can a company serve its target audience if the people serving the product don’t look like that audience? Diversity is important for companies because you want to be able to effectively serve the communities or markets that are the consumers of what you’re selling.”
Lauren Zieziula, Class of 2017
IST Identity Talk: LGBTQ+ Pride
“I almost think of my sexual orientation as a barrier to entry for me and in every conversation I feel like I have to come out, because outwardly a lot of people don’t expect that I would be a lesbian. It’s this LGBTQ kind of blanket of invincibility that we have to wear and constantly try to prove to other people who we are, which is a hard thing to navigate.”
This story was originally published in the Winter 2022 issue of iConnect magazine. Learn more about the IST Identity Talks series and watch recordings of all talks in the series at ist.psu.edu/identity-talks.