Visionaries Inspiring the Future of Technology
By Gloria Romano-Barrera
Examples of successful Latinas in technology are on the rise and as they become role models for
the next generation, they are also opening doors creating a diverse future in STEM. The following
stories of determined Latinas in STEM are only a small fragment of the many more to come.
Madeline Vega
Senior Technical Staff
Member Cognitive Systems Development
IBM Systems
Naturally inclined toward math and science, Madeline Vega spent her
childhood hearing from her elementary teachers that she should become
an engineer. It was in 5th grade that she decided to pursue it. This led
her to Math, Science and Engineering summer camps at the University of Puerto
Rico at Mayagüez while in high school.
“Those STEM camps solidified my desire to study engineering, and also
helped me decide to specialize in Electrical Engineering,” says Vega, Senior
Technical Staff Member, Cognitive Systems Development at IBM Systems.
In College, Vega was a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
(NACME) scholar, obtained three summer internships at 3M Corp as part of the
program, and the last summer of her BSEE, she interned at Lucent Technologies.
For Vega, these early work experiences were very beneficial and helped her get
the confidence to move forward in the field. Later while at a job fair at her alma
mater, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, she interviewed with the IBM
recruiting team and found a great opportunity to join the team as a Systems
Engineer at IBM in Austin.
Today, Vega is a Senior Technical Staff
Member (STSM) in the Cognitive Systems
Development organization in IBM Systems
in Austin, TX, working on future server
technologies. She is the Platform Chief
Engineer for the next generation of
Power Systems and new Storage Class
Memory offerings. In her role, she leads
cross-functional teams on the architecture,
design and development of systems and
have technical responsibility for the
successful general availability of the
systems portfolio.
By focusing on STEM, Vega believes
she has received many opportunities to try
new things and continue evolving. Having mentors early on in her career also
guided her in her journey both professionally and personally. She also credits her
parents, her dad a retired Science teacher and her mom, a retired English teacher
for instilling in her the importance of learning and education.
“Our culture, in general, is very family-oriented. I think that quality and the
values associated with it give me a tendency to care a lot about the well-being of
my team,” she shares. “As part of our business, we have challenging schedules
to get technology into the market with very high standards. The people that we work
with are the biggest assets and we must ensure they are taken care of, and I do
my best to make sure they are doing well.”
For Vega, the best part of working with IBM is to work on what matters in the
world and the flexibility to do impactful work while also having time for a fulfilling
life with family and community.
“IBM cares about the community and the world,” she states. “I respect our
company because we take on important, history-changing challenges, such as
Watson in Jeopardy, which made the AI era tangible. And also because we
continuously give back with programs such as the IBM Corporate Service Corps
(CSC). In 2010 I was fortunate to participate in the CSC Turkey Team 5 that worked
in nonprofit projects in the province of Malatya.”
Vega is a lifetime member of the Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE). She
is also part of the Hispanics in Partnership Business Resource Group at IBM.
Through these organizations and other volunteering activities, Vega reaches out to
the younger generation in the community and mentor them so they can see what
is possible in STEM.
“My advice would be to get mentors and a support structure early on,” she
shares. “Let them, and your management team, know what your aspirations and
goals are. That way when opportunities come up, they will have you in mind and
see if you are interested in pursuing them.”
12 www. lat inastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol . 26, No. 1, 2020
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