Mareline Ramirez, 24
Mareline Ramirez had always thought she would pursue a career in healthcare, electing for a major in Health and Human Concerns at Florida International University and even working as a medical assistant for several months. She was also heavily involved in her campus community as the Vice President for APPA at FIU, FIU’s pre-physician assistants organization. During the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Mareline learned coding basics and created the club’s website to better communicate and share resources with members virtually. Her efforts attracted 300+ additional club members. Mareline loved the experience of learning to code, and felt fulfilled creating something which had an immediate and tangible impact on others.
When Mareline graduated from FIU she still had a passion for coding, but was unsure how to put it to use. Initially, she was nervous to pursue a career in technology. Women are still underrepresented in Miami’s tech industry and face gaps in access and resources. Not to mention that most of Mareline’s network was based in healthcare. Luckily, she had a few friends who studied computer science, and they encouraged her to build on her passion for coding. Just a few months later, Mareline began a second degree at FIU in computer science.
Switching to a career in tech after so much time in healthcare wasn’t always easy. Mareline enrolled in the Microsoft Tech Resilience mentorship program shortly after deciding to study computer science, but felt timid and out of place in her male-dominated classes. However, she found excellent mentors at Reboot Representation, and credits her friend Danay Fernandez (president of FIU Women in Cybersecurity) for providing her with the resources she needed to get started in computer science. Through Danay, Mareline was introduced to TechTogether, a series of hackathons focused on narrowing the gender gap in technology.
While Mareline’s first hackathon experience at CodeDay 2021 certainly helped to grow her skillset, she believes the experience of participating in TechTogether Chicago 2022 was pivotal in her career. Mareline says she immediately felt welcomed and resonated with TechTogether’s mission of empowering marginalized genders in tech. Mareline has always been passionate about tackling gender inequality, so when she had the opportunity to follow Danay in leading TechTogether Miami as the Chapter Director, it seemed like the perfect fit.
In her role as Chapter Director, Mareline has been able to help bridge the gender gap in the Miami tech community and provide support to students coming from similar non-traditional backgrounds. She continues to provide support for other students, and has gotten involved in a number of other gender-focused events in the Miami-Dade area like Code/Art Fest 2022, FIU’s Women in Tech Conference (WiTCON), HackaBull 2023, and Technica 2022. In addition to her role as Chapter Director for TechTogether Miami, Mareline stays actively involved in the hacking community through her university’s chapters of Women in Computer Science, INIT, and Break Through Tech.
Quick Facts
Mareline Ramirez, 24
Mareline Ramirez had always thought she would pursue a career in healthcare, electing for a major in Health and Human Concerns at Florida International University and even working as a medical assistant for several months. She was also heavily involved in her campus community as the Vice President for APPA at FIU, FIU’s pre-physician assistants organization. During the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Mareline learned coding basics and created the club’s website to better communicate and share resources with members virtually. Her efforts attracted 300+ additional club members. Mareline loved the experience of learning to code, and felt fulfilled creating something which had an immediate and tangible impact on others.
When Mareline graduated from FIU she still had a passion for coding, but was unsure how to put it to use. Initially, she was nervous to pursue a career in technology. Women are still underrepresented in Miami’s tech industry and face gaps in access and resources. Not to mention that most of Mareline’s network was based in healthcare. Luckily, she had a few friends who studied computer science, and they encouraged her to build on her passion for coding. Just a few months later, Mareline began a second degree at FIU in computer science.
Switching to a career in tech after so much time in healthcare wasn’t always easy. Mareline enrolled in the Microsoft Tech Resilience mentorship program shortly after deciding to study computer science, but felt timid and out of place in her male-dominated classes. However, she found excellent mentors at Reboot Representation, and credits her friend Danay Fernandez (president of FIU Women in Cybersecurity) for providing her with the resources she needed to get started in computer science. Through Danay, Mareline was introduced to TechTogether, a series of hackathons focused on narrowing the gender gap in technology.
While Mareline’s first hackathon experience at CodeDay 2021 certainly helped to grow her skillset, she believes the experience of participating in TechTogether Chicago 2022 was pivotal in her career. Mareline says she immediately felt welcomed and resonated with TechTogether’s mission of empowering marginalized genders in tech. Mareline has always been passionate about tackling gender inequality, so when she had the opportunity to follow Danay in leading TechTogether Miami as the Chapter Director, it seemed like the perfect fit.
In her role as Chapter Director, Mareline has been able to help bridge the gender gap in the Miami tech community and provide support to students coming from similar non-traditional backgrounds. She continues to provide support for other students, and has gotten involved in a number of other gender-focused events in the Miami-Dade area like Code/Art Fest 2022, FIU’s Women in Tech Conference (WiTCON), HackaBull 2023, and Technica 2022. In addition to her role as Chapter Director for TechTogether Miami, Mareline stays actively involved in the hacking community through her university’s chapters of Women in Computer Science, INIT, and Break Through Tech.
Quick Facts
