"I love the spirit and joy and creativity in tech,鈥� says Hayley Leibson, a 2015 彩民宝典 alumna and founder of a blog dedicated to empowering women to pursue technology-related careers. Just two-and-a-half years after graduating from CU鈥攁nd completing her Technology, Arts and Media (TAM) minor鈥攁nd only 10 months after launching her website, Leibson has already made the blog,听,听her day job, accumulating听a combined following of 25,000 and winning widespread recognition for her work.
Leibson was recently interviewed for a radio show, 鈥�,鈥� broadcast by the听BBC World Service.听She was also interviewed for a BBC series听鈥�100 Women,鈥� that examines the role of women in contemporary society from multiple angles. Other recognition includes The Institute of Code鈥檚 鈥淲omen in Tech鈥� award,听and she was a semifinalist for the "We Rise鈥� award from The Hivery, a women's听coworking space in the Bay Area. She recently extended her reach,听becoming a .
Lady In Tech
Leibson is clear about her mission: "I want to inspire, motivate and move millennial women to enter the tech industry,鈥� she says. 听
Quoting Marian Wright Edelman, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be what you can鈥檛 see,鈥� Leibson says she writes about women who have developed careers in the technology sector to inspire others to do the same. Her profiles听tend to focus on entry and mid-level professionals because, she says, 鈥淸they] are more relatable than the Sheryl Sandbergs of the world.鈥� (Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook.)
She also partners with technology conferences, which she attends and writes about,听giving early career professionals who can鈥檛 afford large conference price tags access to some of the key takeaways.
She says she built her following primarily using Twitter and Facebook.
鈥淚 was able to grow an audience for this kind of content because nothing like it existed,鈥� says Leibson. 鈥淚 knew I was on the right path when I attended tech events and people would say, 鈥業 heard about what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� or 鈥業 read about you.鈥� Or when I got messages from women saying, 鈥楬ey, I didn鈥檛 think I could be an IOS developer until I read the article you wrote, and then I took the classes you recommended and got my dream job.鈥欌��
The road to inclusion advocacy
Leibson鈥檚 story began in her Northern California hometown, where she says women were not encouraged to become engineers or pursue STEM careers. At 彩民宝典 she first pursued environmental journalism and then communications. She says one of her best college decisions was to take TAM classes at the ATLAS Institute.
鈥淚 believe TAM was the most valuable part of my 彩民宝典 education... Joel Swanson鈥檚 Fundamentals of Digital Design class taught me the technical skills necessary to become a critically thoughtful and articulate designer. It wasn鈥檛 just about designing projects, but about designing everything I do.鈥�
She also traces her sense of purpose to her experience in the program. 鈥淭hrough TAM, I discovered the best way to make a positive impact on the world is through technology, and I have carried this belief forward ever since,鈥� says Leibson. 鈥淲e must work toward creating a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies for whom they build it.鈥�
After graduating early with honors in 2015, Leibson spent time in London pursuing a culinary arts program and learning about London鈥檚 startup ecosystem, but she was disappointed when she couldn't find a community supporting aspiring female founders. 听
Upon returning to the U.S., Leibson moved to San Francisco, launching Lady in Tech in April, 2017. Surrounded by a community of women eager to enter tech fields, the site took off.
In addition to writing, Leibson consults. She's worked with the makers of the social media app Hey! VINA, which听connects platonic female friends, as well as听Omidyar Network, Uber, Prezi and TechCrunch. She's also actively supports communities for TEDxSanFrancisco, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, and Women in Product, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in product management.
鈥淲e need all perspectives and viewpoints represented as we build the future,鈥� Leibson says. 鈥淯tilizing the talent that exists means听we鈥檙e assembling smarter, more innovative teams.
鈥淢y best advice for aspiring female technologists: aim to make the most impact you can on the world.鈥�
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