When friends convinced me to enter a hackathon, I didn’t think I’d win, let alone have it reshape my future.
I assumed I’d be a nurse, like the other women in my family. But winning the hackathon and meeting women in the tech industry who look like me solidified my passion for video games and technology. I’ve since worked with Fortune 500 companies and founded two programs dedicated to empowering Filipinas to pursue tech and video game careers.
Creating new opportunities is important – making people aware of them even more so. You can’t chase a dream you don’t know exists.
– Teresa Ibarra, ESA Foundation Scholarship Recipient