Challenging the status quo and inspiring young women in tech

Wed, 11 May 2022 14:20:38 -0400
class-of-2022, coeit, computerscience, cwit, cyberscholars, news, purpose, uncategorized

Priscila de Almeida Feitosa

Degree: B.S., Computer Science
Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Plans: Software engineer for Amazon

“On campus, I never felt different. I never felt nervous when I needed to do a presentation because I didn’t think anyone would care about my accent or where I’m from, because at UMBC everyone is from somewhere.”

As a Cyber Scholar and Center for Women in Technology Scholar, Priscila de Almeida Feitosa ’22, computer science, found like-minded classmates at UMBC—students who wanted to challenge the status quo of representation in technology fields.

Alemeida with Cindy Greenwood, advisor and assistant director of Cyber Scholars Program. Image courtesy of Almeida.

Almeida, whose first degree is in business, came from Brazil with the goal of redefining her career path. “In the U.S., I thought, I’ll try for the first time in my life to do something that I want to do. I’ve always wanted to change the world, and it seems like the most changes in the world happen in technology.” Almeida is excited to use her software engineering position at Amazon as a jumping off point for volunteering with young women interested in STEM, exposing them to what is possible.

“I want to be a model for middle school girls,” says Almeida. “I want that age group to know what’s possible in this field and for them to see someone like themselves designing software. When I started to code and saw my products running, then it really clicked for me—I can see myself building something that is actually going to be meaningful for the world.”