By Krysten Brenlla
Sixteen years ago, Patricia Hernandez emigrated from Cuba to the United States with a single goal: to attend college and earn a degree. However, arriving in a new country without knowing the language and working to support herself made that dream seem increasingly out of reach.
Despite the many obstacles she faced, Hernandez enrolled at Miami Dade College in 2013 when she was 24 years old.
“When I was first starting, I remember that I would leave my house at 7 a.m., and I didn’t get back home until 11 p.m.,” Hernandez said. “It was really hard, but I didn’t give up.”
At first, Hernandez aimed for a career as a pharmacy technician. But, when she began her studies, she discovered a passion for technology after taking courses in robotic pharmacy.
“I realized that I really loved working with robots and everything that had to do with tech,” Hernandez said. “I started working closely with developers, suggesting new ideas to the team, and I realized that I really loved creating new things.”
A few years later, in 2020, Hernandez received the life-changing news that she was pregnant.
Her son, now 4-years-old, was her inspiration and motivation to continue her studies at college. She became one of 25 students to earn the Women of Color in Tech Google Scholarship (the only student from Florida), and landed a spot in Miami Dade College’s Rebooting through EmTech Programs (REP).
Now, with a new passion for tech, Hernandez is studying Information System Technology with a concentration as a Software Engineer at MDC, with hopes of graduating with her bachelor’s degree next month month while participating in organizations like AnitaB and CodePath.
With the support of MDC’s resources, like the Miami Codes initiative in partnership with Apple, which aims to equip minority students with iOS app development skills, and the Miami Tech Works‘ Miami Tech Talent Coalition, a collaboration of employers, academia and community organizations creating new tech pathways for residents, Hernandez this year secured several opportunities, including a 10-week internship with the City of Coral Gables, and now her first job as a junior software engineer at Datapro in Miami.
“My first internship with the City of Coral Gables was something different, challenging, and new for me,” Hernandez said. “I spent most of my time working on the Dear Human project’s augmented reality app, combining art and technology.”
Hernandez started at Datapro a few weeks ago, and she is working with JavaScript on the backend. Datapro provides core banking systems and digital solutions, primarily in Latin America.
And, just this month, Hernandez, alongside her team, was chosen to go to Chicago to present her capstone project through MDC’s REP program, which aims to increase the number of academically talented, minority, and low-income students obtaining bachelor’s degrees in the Emerging Technology disciplines.
“With our capstone project, we were trying to solve a real problem that many colleges and universities are facing now – there are many students, but only a few advisors to help them,” Hernandez said. “We’re trying to automate the process of creating academic student maps that help students, based on their profiles, select the right classes and electives.”
Hernandez says that she wouldn’t have gotten to where she is now without the support and resources that MDC offered her.
“My experience with MDC has been great. They offer so many opportunities for everyone – from helping low-income students pay for books through Single Stop to helping students with interviews and resume reviews through MDC Works,” Hernandez said. “There are so many scholarships, grants, and opportunities available for students.”
When asked to share her advice for other students like her looking to break into the industry, she emphasized the importance of perseverance while taking advantage of the resources available in Miami.
“My advice is, if you want to do it, you can do it,” Hernandez said. “I’m a full-time student, a mom, and now I have a full-time job – it’s hard, but if you want to do it, you can do it. I would like to inspire and motivate women, especially mothers, to push themselves and get out of their comfort zone, because when you reach that moment of, ‘oh my gosh, I did it,’ it’s really rewarding.”
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For employers: How to get involved in the Miami Tech Talent Coalition
Your involvement can make a significant difference in shaping the future of Miami’s tech industry, creating a vibrant and sustainable tech talent ecosystem. Together, participants can continue to build Miami as an innovative hub and a desirable destination for businesses and tech talent.
- Join the Coalition here. Employers can also specify a work group they are interested in.
- Attend a meeting: The next in-person general meeting will be Feb. 5. Find out more and register here.
- Stay connected with the coalition’s progress and updates by signing up for their newsletter here, reviewing the website here, and following Miami Tech Works on LinkedIn and Instagram.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Small business resilience takes center stage at Tech Talent Coalition’s year-end event
- From accounting to web development: Meet this Ironhack grad making big strides in programming
- How Break Through Tech Miami bridges the gap between classroom and industry
- This Miami Dade College student went from criminal justice to monitoring potential online threats at Kaseya
- MDC and Apple create a Swift pathway to work experience in tech
- The data is in: We have tech talent, but are not retaining it. Now what?
- And much more here.
Refresh Miami is a proud partner of Miami Tech Works
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