Introducing BeyondID’s Women in Technology Chapter & Inspire for Good

What is BeyondID WiT?

BeyondID Women in Technology’s mission is to create an inclusive workplace and diverse team at BeyondID by providing a platform to uplift women, it’s employees and contractors, and help them build the skills and confidence needed to be successful.

By creating an environment where one’s individuality is welcomed, unique skills are provided, and there’s an opportunity for open expression, our network can have a positive impact on BeyondID’s culture. By enabling an inclusive culture of individuality, the engagement and creativity of the workforce will ignite more collaboration and innovation, while retaining and growing the workforce.

What does BeyondID WiT have to offer?

Everyone has their own stories to tell. Their own experiences. By sharing these, we can learn from each other and be a better person for it, and a better company.

A long time ago, in a galaxy, far, far away…called Sacramento, CA, a Japanese American teenage girl started her first day of collage to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. It was not a choice. It was not even her decision. She was simply told by her parents that that was her major. It was also a hope. A hope that she would graduate and start bridging the gap between men and women, Asian women, in the Technology field. That girl was me.

Being one of two women in all her CS classes, I studied hard, worked hard and graduated with that BS in Computer Science.  For the next 20+ years, in the IT field, I worked hard, harder than most. Nothing was handed to me, I earned every opportunity, I even created my own opportunities. Setbacks? Of course! Those were handled with grace and a bit of anger, but in the end, an experience gained, and another opportunity to improve arose.

I didn’t learn all this wisdom, courage, and tenacity on my own, I simply followed in my mother’s footsteps. A woman of Japanese/Scots-Irish American heritage who worked just as hard, if not harder, to bridge the working gap between men and women, and for Asian Pacific Islanders (API), in the California State Legislature and in the Sacramento API communities. Being a pioneer, my mom led the way for women, and other Asians, to succeed in Government and Minority Women Owned businesses.  Over her 30 years of championing, one of her many accomplishments, was being awarded a grant from the Asia Foundation to present lectures and seminars on California government to governments and universities in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, People’s Republic of China, Singapore and Thailand.

For her dedication of promoting women and API communities, she received various certificates and awards. One such certificate was from the California Legislature Assembly Resolution for “Minority Enterprise Development Week”, which is currently displayed in my home. My mom’s last recognition was given posthumously in 2011 when she was inducted into the Chinese American Council of Sacramento (CASC) “Hall of Fame” to be memorialized with other inductees for indelible marks that they made in Sacramento.

As mentioned, 20+ years have passed. There’s still a gap. Why? Is the Tech Industry gender gap a result of choice? Are women just not interested? Is there a lack of opportunity or is it something else? I really don’t know why there’s still a gap. I love what I do and other than retiring, and lounging on a tropical beach, or doing something that involves a lot of cats, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

What can we do? Acknowledging there’s a gender gap is not enough. I would like to see WiT assisting with Outreach and Recruitment Programs, Pipeline Hiring Programs, Internship Programs, and/or aligning with Race & Gender Equity Plans. Maybe WiT could host a fireside chat to discuss the origin of the gap and what we can do to change it.

A path has presented itself. A new opportunity. A continuing hope. Work hard to support BeyondID WiT or do nothing? That same girl, now a woman, says that’s an easy answer.

The same path has presented itself for other women. What are you prepared to do?

What is BeyondID For Good?

Along with spreading knowledge about the importance of women in technology and finding ways for us to succeed now and in the future, the BeyondID’s Women in Technology Chapter is also enthusiastic about our community and wants to facilitate involvement efforts through volunteerism and philanthropic contributions.

BeyondID knows that funding is a scarce resource for Non-profit Organizations. We want to help and believe their missions deserves the best technology services, however, we also know that every dollar counts.

With that in mind, BeyondID is working hard to make our innovative services available by offering the following resources and innovations to Non-Profit Organizations:

  • Advisory & Consulting Services
  • Technology Services Financing
  • Implementation Services
  • Service Management

While supplying our resources and innovations services to Non-profit Organizations, we felt a more pressing and urgent need to give a helping hand, to those impacted by COVID-19, to our BeyondID teams in India and Nepal. How could we help? Some fantastic BeyondID WiT ladies found two amazing doctors to host meetings for all BeyondID employees.

Dr. Abhishaanth Prabu, a Doctor local to India, spoke about what to expect and how to help treat naturally, and answered any questions. Dr. Nirmal Shyam, who resides in the US, hosted another meeting and also spoke about Covid and it’s effects. We were able to locate a group of physicians from North America and India who volunteered to take care of COVID-19 patients in India. And even managed to locate a Nepal Doctor’s Lounge where experienced doctors, who are currently working in this pandemic to treat Covid patients, provided free Telemedicine. What more could we do? How about start a COVID Relief Fundraiser!

We might be a small company, but we are all heart! Stay tuned to hear more about the amazing outcome. By helping our BeyondID team members, during these unprecedented times, we can, as a whole AND healthy team, “pay it forward.”

To learn more, fill out the contact form below:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Picture of Angela Sonoda
Angela Sonoda

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *