Capital One Inclusion & Diversity

Tell us about your experience as a woman in tech. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?

Early on in my career, before coming to Capital One, being only one of a few women in my field often led me to be questioned about my technical expertise and leadership skills. However, seeing smart, strong women around me in technology inspired me to make a better place for myself. I learned by watching how they spoke up for themselves and others. 

Before coming to Capital One, there were certainly times where I needed to put extra work and time in to achieve the same recognition and acceptance as my counterparts — both when I was a leader and when I was a software engineer. Fortunately, I’ve been able to leverage these experiences to mentor other women in technology and provide advice for their career growth.

What are your professional goals, and how has Capital One enabled you to pursue them?

I just accomplished a big professional goal of mine: earning a master’s degree in data analytics engineering. This was part of a larger goal to combine analytics with my technical expertise to leverage data-driven insights for decision making that will contribute to the overall growth of Capital One.

I received so much support from the company on this journey. I used Capital One’s tuition assistance benefit program, but the help I received extended beyond the financial support. My manager and coworkers always made sure I had the time I needed to do my job and earn my degree. It always felt manageable.

How does Capital One celebrate and empower women?

Capital One gives women the space and resources to support one another, invest in themselves and build the next generation of talent. We network, pursue professional development and volunteer. One of the main ways I do this is through our Business Resource Groups like empowher — for women in the workplace — and Women in Tech, which I serve in a learning and development leadership position for.

I’ve volunteered with Capital One Coders, which provides education and mentorship to help middle school students become technologists. I’ve also attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing — the largest gathering of women and non-binary technologists in the world — where I was awestruck at seeing the number of strong, powerful women in tech.

Overall, Capital One actively works to increase the representation of women in senior leadership roles through leadership development programs and mentorship opportunities designed specifically for women. All of these opportunities drive home what I really want: to show my 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughters that they can achieve anything.