accesso Volunteers Inspire the Next Generation of Women in Tech with Technovation

It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in the tech space. With just 27.6% of the tech-related workforce being women, and only 1 in 4 Computer Science majors being women, there is still much work needed to develop and support the advancement of women in the technology industry.

At accesso, we recognize this issue as we believe diversity is essential to innovation. Women face a unique set of challenges in the workplace, and we have remained committed to providing support through these challenges with a variety of initiatives. With essential benefits like a generous parental leave policy, as well as inclusive family benefits through Maven Clinic to provide family planning support to our employees, we do our best to weave layers of resources into the everyday experience of being a woman at accesso. Last year for the first time, accesso proudly sponsored a select group of women to attend the prestigious Grace Hopper Celebration as an investment in both their personal and professional growth. This year we took our dedication to the next level and launched our IgniteHer program, a formalized program focused on three core pillars: societal impact, career advancement, and creating a community of inclusion. As a first step, we have instituted Lean In Circles, a safe space for employees who identify as women to regularly meet and discuss issues pertinent to them, and ways to overcome them. However, IgniteHer pledges a multifaceted approach to better supporting not only the women within accesso, but also in our broader community.

As part of our focus on creating a positive societal impact, we launched a collaboration with Technovation, a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls to become leaders, creators, and problem-solvers. Every year, with the help of grassroots organizations in over 100 countries, Technovation Girls encourages teams of young women to develop mobile apps and leverage AI to address issues in their own communities. This year smashed registration records with 31,000 girls signing up to address climate change, domestic violence, equality, and accessibility issues that matter to them. The sky's the limit for what these girls can achieve with the support of volunteers across the globe. Volunteers play a crucial role in helping review, score, and provide feedback and encouragement to team submissions to help determine the top 15 pitches and finalists.

Volunteer Time Off (VTO) is another employee benefit at accesso, where employees are awarded eight hours a year to volunteer with organizations that are most important to them. This year over 30 accesso employees dedicated their VTO and expertise to help review submissions while providing insight on ways groups can strengthen their pitches and increase their chances of moving onto the World Summit.

When asking Stephanie Horwath, Director of Sales Engineering, what her motivation was to volunteer as a judge, her answer was simple: “I have two daughters and to think they could be this next generation of inventors, made Technovation very relatable to me”. Bhavin Trikamji, our Head of Engineering - Queuing Platform, shared a similar sentiment “Being a father of two lovely daughters who fall in the exact same group as these participants…I had no excuse to miss out on the opportunity. It was amazing to witness how well young girls of my daughters’ ages were presenting their thoughts and ideas through their projects”. As a judge, volunteers are asked to review at least five submissions, but Trikamji went above and beyond to judge over 11 submissions, even using his time over the weekend to provide additional insights. Since judges can volunteer virtually from anywhere in the world he figured “Rather than spending one of my weekends to go watch a movie or go out for lunch, I might as well spend that time to help important social causes from the comfort of my home”.

While one might assume a judge's role is solely to impart wisdom to the participants, in reality, the participants and their innovative submissions profoundly impact the judges, leaving them inspired to continue driving positive change. As Trikamji stated: “I am positive that opportunities like these not only bring about an optimistic change to our outlook on the world but also make a tiny contribution to its wellness through supporting organizations like Technovation”. We all can make a difference in the world, sometimes we have to zoom out from our microcosms to see all the opportunities around us. Horwath reflecting on her takeaways from the experience shared: “I think we get in our routines and become familiar with popular technology, but what else is possible?”. We love helping our employees connect with organizations such as Technovation, where they can share their talents while lending a hand in shaping the next generation of women in tech. accesso will continue to champion the cause of women in technology while working to contribute to a brighter, more inclusive future for the entire industry.

If you are interested in more information about the Technovation program, please visit their website www.technovation.org