Benjamin Juarez Co-founder, Latinos in Tech (Photo/Latinos in Tech)
By Karen Stokes
Latinos in Tech, launched in 2019, aims to uplift Latino tech talent through resource sharing, events, and professional development.
Benjamin Juarez, co-founder of Latinos in Tech explains what personally drives him to advocate for Latino representation in Technology. “It has to do with us not seeing a lot of Latinos in this space but also in terms of money, there’s a lot of money to be made in technology. If we can get people in tech jobs and get people to be entrepreneurs.”
Wisconsin Tech Month is a month full of tech events across Wisconsin, from October 1 to October 31.
Between 2020 and 2030, technology occupations are expected to grow by 13 percent.
As a Black and Latino-led initiative, WI Tech Month is dedicated to increasing diversity in tech, a critical issue given that Black and Latino professionals make up only 8% and 7% of the tech workforce, according to PEW Research.
“We’re an organization focused on making Wisconsin Tech Month as best as it can be in terms of bringing in the Latino perspective, bringing in Latino engineers and designers, people that are interested in tech, people who play that role,” Juarez said. “We are an LLC, we provide workshops, experiences, and training. We plan on meetups throughout the year.”
“We support Wisconsin Tech Month in every way. Two headlining events that we are doing is a resume workshop for people that want to get into tech and then on Saturday, Oct. 26 we’ll have a Tech Hackathon at Seeds of Health on Vel Phillips Ave in Milwaukee.
This year, WI Tech Month, co-led by Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech, is launching a major new initiative: Midwest Tech Week.
The Midwest Tech Week aims to unite Midwest cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit to build a stronger, more connected tech ecosystem in an often-overlooked region. A Midwest Tech Week kickoff event takes place in Detroit on Monday, Oct. 21.
To reach out to the younger generation who may be interested in tech careers, Latinos in Tech has partnered with Carmen High School and other institutions to teach coding and development. “We prioritize teaching and workshops,” Juarez added.
For more information visit Latinosin.tech