M+E Connections

WiTH, PepUp Tech Host Alumni Event

Earlier this summer, Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH) partnered up with nonprofit PepUp Tech (an organization that provides underrepresented students access to both mentors and skills, in order to facilitate paths toward tech careers), offering up a unique networking event.

Moderated by WiTH chairwoman Nadya Ichinomiya, the online event provided alumni of PepUp’s programs insights into improving their communication skills, how to negotiate, and how to be heard by their co-workers and their managers when pitching ideas.

“Students were very grateful about the insights and advice we provided in our sessions, covering skills for business writing, presenting and negotiating with confidence,” said Gina Avila, senior director of programs and partnerships for PepUp Tech.

Nearly 50 PepUp alumni attended the two-plus hour online, interactive event, which featured numerous breakout sessions, including “Business Writing: Achieving Your Communication Goals,” “Negotiating: Being Heard & Getting Buy-In,” and “Powerful Presentations.”

“Self-confidence is a lifelong process of discovery [and] with every win, defeat [and] speed bump comes a rebuilding and a victory,” one presentation read. “We all go through [a] confidence cycle … [with] your professors, co-workers, managers and the CEO of the company you want to work for.

“A negotiation is a conversation in which you are trying to get something you want — whether you are communicating through a presentation, in-person or virtually via Zoom prepare — [to] listen and ask questions.”

PepUp Tech — a WiTH Community Engagement partner — has worked to advance underserved individuals in the areas of computer science and technology since 2016. For more information click here.