The way forward for know-how is shiny, particularly after the resounding success of the seventh annual Cisco Ladies Energy Tech, held on the Cisco campus in Richardson, Texas, on April 17, 2025!
This impactful occasion linked 73 shiny younger college students with the huge potential of STEM, supported by 13 devoted educators. These gifted members hail from Cisco Networking Academy colleges, a strategic partnership that enables us to successfully attain and encourage the following era of tech professionals.
What’s Ladies Energy Tech?
In celebration of Worldwide Ladies in Info and Communication Know-how (ICT) Day, Cisco Richardson hosts Networking Academies throughout the North Texas Metroplex, providing college students a full day of empowerment, studying, and pleasing actions. This occasion blends inspiring talks, hands-on labs, mentorshipand networking into a fascinating and academic expertise.
Ladies Energy Tech is extra than simply an occasion. It’s a motion devoted to empowering ladies and younger ladies to pursue careers in know-how and bridge the gender hole in STEM. We’re cultivating the following era of innovators, problem-solvers, and tech leaders.
A day of inspiration and exploration
Inspiring messages
The day kicked off with an inspiring keynote tackle from Melissa Kraftthe CIO of the Metropolis of Frisco. She shared her tech journey, highlighting its energy and boundless alternatives, and delivered a profound message to the younger ladies:
“Tech is highly effective. YOU make it significant. Keep in mind, you belong on this area.”
—Melissa Kraft, CIO, Metropolis of Frisco
Constructing on this momentum, the women then engaged in a considerate dialogue, sharing their private inspirations and what sparks their curiosity inside the world of know-how.
Metropolis of Frisco CIO Melissa Kraft delivers the Ladies Energy Tech Keynote.
Veronica Valladarez, Account Govt – Cisco Portfolio, delivers an inspiring message of empowerment.
Following the keynote, Veronica ValladarezCisco Account Govt – Portfolio, delivered an inspiring tackle.
She vividly shared the outstanding story of Cisco co-founder Sandy Lerner and her resilient journey of turning adversity into a brand new, profitable enterprise. Veronica then linked this to the women’ potential by way of her empowering message:
“Rejection is simply redirection. True innovators make NEW worlds when the outdated ones don’t settle for them.”
—Veronica Valladarez, Account Govt, Cisco Portfolio
Her phrases deeply resonated, fostering self-belief and resilience to encourage the younger ladies to worth their distinctive views.
Participating actions
To interrupt the ice and foster connections, the attendees participated in a energetic Networking Bingo Sport. This enjoyable and interactive exercise inspired college students to step exterior their consolation zones, meet new folks, and uncover shared pursuits, constructing a supportive and collaborative ambiance proper from the beginning.
Our attendees take a second to attach throughout Networking Bingo.
Networking Bingo—Ladies Energy Tech, April 17, 2025
To present our shiny younger attendees a style of various sides of know-how and join them with inspiring function fashions, we ran our labs and velocity mentoring classes in a dynamic rotation.
- AI Lab: Suited to Victory – Younger minds explored the fundamentals of synthetic intelligence by way of a hands-on experiment. On this exercise, they skilled a mannequin to categorise fits of playing cards utilizing their webcam. They explored how algorithms study, experimented with picture recognition software program, and even brainstormed how AI may very well be used to unravel real-world issues.
Gathering to debate AI & Sphero Labs.
Our attendees workforce as much as deal with the AI Lab.
- Sphero Lab: Maze Mayhem – College students realized to program and management modern programmable robotic balls by way of a LEGO maze. This hands-on expertise helped foster problem-solving abilities, creativity, and a deeper understanding of programming ideas.
Powering tech, collectively. (Sphero Lab)
Educating ladies can change the world. (Sphero Lab)
- Velocity Mentoring – This offered a useful alternative for the scholars to attach with a various group of completed professionals from varied tech fields. The rapid-fire, targeted conversations allowed the younger ladies to ask questions, achieve insights into completely different profession paths, and obtain personalised recommendation and encouragement.
The day culminated in an Awards ceremony, celebrating the members’ enthusiasm, engagement, and newfound data. The grins on the scholars’ faces as they obtained recognition had been a testomony to the occasion’s impression.
Extra than simply tech
Ladies Energy Tech isn’t nearly technical abilities; it’s about constructing a robust, supportive group the place younger ladies really feel empowered, assured, and know their voices and concepts are valued.
We had been notably moved by the conversations we overheard – ladies sharing their aspirations and inspiring one another to pursue their desires fearlessly. This sense of camaraderie and mutual help is strictly what Ladies Energy Tech goals to domesticate.
What attendees mentioned
“My favourite a part of the occasion was getting to attach one-on-one with the unbelievable folks from Cisco. I liked listening to everybody’s profession trajectories because it gave me a lot perspective—it helped me keep grounded in my very own imaginative and prescient whereas interested by all the probabilities forward. My greatest takeaway was the significance of staying open-minded and dedicated to steady studying. I spotted that mindset can open doorways you didn’t even know existed!”
—Jassmin
“I used to be scared, all the time asking myself, ‘What if it’s laborious? However you guys confirmed me what it means to work in know-how and what it may well do for the folks. You confirmed me that, regardless of my pursuits, tech all the time has a spot for somebody. I thanks for all you may have accomplished!”
—Aaliya
“Thanks for internet hosting this nice occasion. It was inspiring and really helpful. The superb mentors I’ve met by way of networking have considerably modified my life choices. As an immigrant, I don’t have a lot steerage in these features of my profession, and this occasion was an important alternative for me. Thanks!”
—Nameless Thank-You Observe
Trying forward
Ladies Energy Tech 2025 was an funding sooner or later. It was a day when younger ladies found their potential, linked with function fashions, and realized {that a} profession in know-how just isn’t solely potential but additionally extremely thrilling and significant. The power and enthusiasm witnessed all through the day left little doubt that the way forward for tech is in shiny fingers. We will’t wait to see the superb issues these younger ladies will obtain!
To make sure the continued success and development of this annual Ladies Energy Tech occasion, we constantly want devoted leaders to help with coordination, supportive companions to fund participating actions, and impactful audio system to encourage our attendees.
In case you are excited by getting concerned, e-mail us.
Thanks to everybody who made it potential
Our honest gratitude to The Batiste Undertaking for our Tech labs, and to our Cisco Inclusive Neighborhood sponsors, Ladies in Science and Engineering (WISE) and Latinx Community connection.
A heartfelt because of the 13 devoted educators, two inspiring audio system, 40 enthusiastic volunteers11 dedicated Ladies Energy Tech leadersand particularly the good ladies who participated. You all introduced the imaginative and prescient of Ladies Energy Tech to life.
What was your favourite a part of Ladies Energy Tech 2025? Share your ideas and photographs utilizing #GirlsPowerTech2025!
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