Square WomEng Hear + Now 2018: Lightning Talks

Hear + Now is a tech lightning talk series hosted by Square’s WomEng organization. The purpose of Hear + Now is to amplify the voices of people from marginalized groups within the tech industry.

This year’s topic was “The Struggle,” with speakers sharing their technical struggles, workplace struggles, and more.

Check out our speakers’ phenomenal talks in the video below. But first, bios!

Natalie Patrice Tucker: “Eye of Tiger: Moving the Needle on Web Accessibility with WCAG 2.1”

Committed to a web that works for everyone, Natalie Patrice Tucker spends her days (and far too many nights and weekends) serving as a subject matter expert in the area of web accessibility and training an army of developers and stakeholders to carry the charge.

Aashni Shah: “It’s Not Me, It’s You”

Aashni Shah grew up in Kenya, moved to Canada to study computer science, and now works as a software engineer at Square. Aashni spends her free time pursuing her four goals in life: tech, philanthropy, travel, and photography.

Jen Wei: “Tech Debt and New Hires”

Jen Wei is a product engineer at Lever, where they’re building tools to help companies hire collaboratively and with conviction. Outside of work, you’ll probably find her playing ultimate frisbee (it’s a real sport!) or on the lookout for great deals.

Jenna Quindica: “The Bipolar Software Engineer”

Jenna Quindica is a multiracial woman, born and raised in Hawaii, who has worked at startups exclusively her whole career. Jenna volunteers with Open-Sourcing Mental Illness (OSMI) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance San Francisco (DBSASF).

Alice Ching: “How to Work with a Closed-Source API”

Alice Ching is the lead engineer on Wattam at the indie games studio Funomena. She’s been working on game engines for more than a decade and has a deep passion for making creative, fun things.