Golden Tips from our #girlboss Engineer!
Hi Glow Up Girls!
I’m Lauryn, one of the Glow Up Tech team members. Today I’m going to share some glimmers of gold from our Travel Day Party with Francesca Hernandez, the Senior Engineering Manager at Expedia.
To kick off our 4th Virtual Day Party, Hamayl Cheema, a co-founder, shared her photography journey and tips. One important tip she shared was to use the “manual” setting on a camera to control the features, rather than “automatic”. Hamayl led us in an editing session, using a photo editing app called VSCO. It’s a social platform but differs from Instagram because there are no followers or likes shown. It allows users to express their creativity without the pressures of receiving likes/follows. At the end, everyone added their creations to Glow Up Tech’s collaborative Pinterest board (pinterest.com/glowuptech).
Francesca started her talk by introducing herself and sharing her childhood. She was born in Canada, and moved to Florida when she was 9. Her first language was French, so she had to overcome the language barrier when her family moved. Growing up she was involved in Girl Scouts, basketball, and softball. One of the biggest lessons she learned early in life was to reach out and find things in common with others, and build supportive relationships.
Francesca was first introduced to engineering in high school. She loved science and math classes, and her guidance counselor suggested engineering as a future career. She was also inspired by her dad, who is a mechanical engineer. Francesca earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Florida, and entered as a General Engineering major. She took an Intro to Engineering class which allowed her to explore the various types of engineering. While choosing a major may be difficult, there are many opportunities to explore different fields.
Francesca also stressed the importance of networking. She joined a co-ed engineering fraternity, where she met other women in engineering. The fraternity provided career opportunities as well as a great social community. Building relationships is essential, and Francesca encouraged us to get to know classmates and professors to build meaningful relationships.
Engineering is a male-dominated field, and this is reflected both in the classroom and workplace. Francesca was one of the few women in each of her classes, but her natural leadership skills shined during group projects. She encourages girls to embrace their talents, and lead with a strong work ethic. Another essential piece of advice she gave is to attend career fairs and seek internships early. As an incoming second year, I can attest to the importance of seeking opportunities early in your college career. Internships provide first-hand experience, and can lead to full-time offers, as it did for Francesca when she earned a position with National Instruments in Austin, Texas.
Francesca’s current role as the Senior Engineering Manager at Expedia allows her passions and natural talents to thrive. As a female leader, one of her greatest strengths is her empathy, which allows her to grow close connections to people as she seeks to understand them and notice things other managers might not notice. One of the best pieces of advice I received is to advocate for yourself- make sure your accomplishments are visible to your leaders and organization. “Others won’t do that for you, you have to do that for yourself”. Oftentimes girls are timid about recognizing and speaking out about their strengths, but Francesca’s advice is super encouraging both in the classroom and out.
Francesca shared additional lessons, questions, and her contact information in the following presentation. She is also providing mentorship for Glow Up Members, so be sure to contact her if you’re interested in this amazing opportunity! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_s43vx0Q7f6fm5QBCfKZNr-TE-Owd25-VybbexS240o/edit?usp=sharing
Don’t miss out on future events! To join our next day party register as a Glow Up Tech member and RSVP on our events page! Can’t wait to see you there.
