From hispanicengineer.com People
In a frank and open conversation, AT&T engineers Alicia Abella, Mary Fernández, and Valerie Torres talk about some of the greatest challenges they have faced, the biggest obstacles they have overcome – and some that they still struggle with today. From start to finish, their voices provide a snapshot of the difficulties of battling through personal challenges while embracing professional dreams. Each of the three women presents us with an opportunity to think about our personal and professional challenges and how we overcame them.
Today, commuting via public transportation from the Bronx to the AT&T Labs in Florham Park, she has been able to observe families, children, adolescents and young adults on their journeys to work, school, and play. That heightened social awareness has not only shaped her study and professional choices, but also guided her community involvement. In 1998 she received a scholarship from Fordham University to pursue a master's degree in religious education to better serve those living in "poorer" communities. She is the author of Familias en la Lucha [Families in the Struggle]: The Religious Educational Journey of Hispanic Families in New York City. Dr. Torres also pursued a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University. She received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a computer science concentration from Fordham University, and a master’s degree in computer science from the City University of New York. Says Dr. Torres, “For me, there hasn’t been one greatest challenge. Rather, I have had many challenges, which I see as opportunities to learn and grow. I was born and raised in the South Bronx, in a single-parent household, at a time when my neighborhood was burning down. Going to college was never an option– it was a given. An academic education was everything. As a child I had to overcome many physical challenges. It took me years to figure ways to go down the stairs, jump rope, ride a bike. But I was good at math, so I figured why not pursue such a degree. Even when people around me, including a counselor, thought that math would be too hard, I decided to pursue a degree in mathematics and computer science at Fordham University. “When I was offered a summer job at AT&T I immediately said ‘Yes’ even though I did not know how to commute to New Jersey. When I was offered the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree and then a doctorate in religious education I said, ‘Yes’ even though it took me a long time to achieve those two dreams. With my mother’s support, teachers’ guidance, and seeing my AT&T colleagues pursue their research with such commitment and passion, I found the courage and strength to continue. These days my major challenge is bridging the academic gap, especially as it pertains to the Latino community. In fact, I think it is my greatest challenge today, and perhaps it has always been my greatest challenge.”
Dr. Fernández has published more than 40 articles in scientific conferences and journals on databases, programming languages, and the Web. She is co-editor of several World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendations on XML technologies that have become industry standards. “The greatest challenge in my life was growing up in a single-parent home,” Dr. Fernández says. “My parents were separated and subsequently divorced in the 1960s, when it was still very rare and a taboo to be divorced (especially for Catholics). Not having two parents at home was a challenge financially and emotionally, and that forced me to grow up quickly. Dr. Fernández is on the board of directors of the Computing Research Association and on the board of directors of MentorNet, an e-mentoring program for students in STEM fields. She has served as secretary/treasurer of ACM SIGMOD, an organization of database researchers, and as an associate editor of ACM Transactions on Database Systems.
As executive vice president for Young Science Achievers, an organization she has been actively involved in for eight years, she strives to build interest and excitement in science and engineering among girls and minority students in high school through mentoring and promotion of scientific achievement. She also chairs the AT&T Labs Fellowship Program and helps to encourage, advise and evaluate candidates for a graduate scholarship from AT&T targeted at women and minorities. “I have often been asked [about] the biggest challenge I have faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry," says Dr. Abella. “Or similarly, a challenge I have had to face as a Hispanic in an environment where there are few Hispanics or underrepresented minorities. The truth is I have not had one greatest challenge. I view my life as a continuous challenge. It’s like having to push a boulder up a mountain. © Copyright 2001 by Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology |