N.C. teens launch platform to help more girls identify careers in tech industry

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Two North Carolina students are carving out a pathway for tech opportunities for female students.

Ally Zendejas and Pallavi Mylar are rising seniors at Cox Mill High School in Concord and at Enloe Magnet High School in Raleigh.

According to Lenovo, less than 30 percent of technology employees are women, a startling statistic Zendejas and Mylar are on a mission to change.

Both of them are partnering with Lenovo, who they’re completing a summer internship with and NAF. This summer they created their own website and platform, Girls Belong in Tech, and just like the name, they want more women to learn about and start their own tech careers.

“Ally and I are both part of STEM-based academies at our high schools, and after talking with our friends we realized so many girls do not know enough about jobs in the tech field – ourselves included,” Pallavi said. “We created Girls Belong in Tech to inform our peers about the technology field but also to inspire young girls to join. Most STEM jobs are male-dominated and many young girls can fall under that pressure, become shy, and not take initiative.”

Mylar first became interested in the technology field after watching her parents who work in the tech field. In her spare time, she enjoys creating PowerPoints, other presentations, and leadership-based projects.

Zendejas wasn’t always interested in tech, at first her heart was in the medical field, but over time she realized she could do both.

Libby Richards is the Community Engagement Manager for Lenovo North America. She says it has been a pleasure working with Zendejas and Mylar.

“Girls Belong in Tech is a perfect example of what happens when we empower visionary young women like Ally and Pallavi to lead in uncovering opportunities in the technology field. In supporting this program and the two interns who created it, Lenovo is signaling to young women across North Carolina that there’s not only room for them, but that they are the future face of tech,” Richards said.

Through the Girls Belong in Tech website, you can take a “find your fit” quiz, explore career opportunities, and see upcoming tech events.

“We want to help get girls inspired to join really technical roles within the technology field like software development and hardware engineering,” Zendejas said. “We’re working on getting more girls to realize that there is potential for them in this field.”

Last month the pair hosted a virtual camp sharing career advice with young women in middle and high school.