21st Century Women in Technology: Present and Future 

Here at Gradiant, we believe it’s important to give visibility to women in the technology sector. With our 21st Century Women in Technology series, we share the experience of some of our colleagues and we hope they can motivate other young women who are at a crossroads in their lives when they have to choose a professional future. This Friday, as we come to the end of March, we have dedicated this space to some of the youngest, to those who represent the present and future of this sector and who are completing their Final Degree Projects in Communications Technology Engineering while working at Gradiant. They are Antía Rodal and Clara Benéitez from Vigo and Henar Mariño from Ferrol. As children, none of them thought of pursuing a career in ICT. In fact, both Clara and Henar were more interested in the performing arts than in technology. But as they grew older, they changed their minds. 

 

Why did you choose technology?

Antía Rodal Fernández (ARF): I chose technology because of the many job opportunities it offers, in areas like software development, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. These ever-expanding areas are indispensable for developing innovative projects and ensuring significant professional growth.

Clara Benéitez Trillo (CBT): That’s what always caught my attention, as I was quite good at mathematics in secondary school and, during my Baccalaureate, I discovered how much I liked programming.

Henar Mariño Bodelón (HMB): Because as I grew up, I became very interested in technology and I saw a lot of future in it. My interest started with technology in ESO [secondary school junior cycle] and then robotics during the Bachillerato. This led me do some research on what technological fields there were and I discovered how interesting they are and the multiple uses that some areas have, such as artificial intelligence and programming.

 

Where did you plan to study? Why?

ARF: My idea was always to study at the University of Vigo.

CBT: My initial intention was to study Mathematics in Santiago, although now I think it would have been a bad decision.

HMB: From the beginning, it was always Vigo. With such a good school here in Galicia, I didn’t see the need to go further afield.

 

What are you currently working on? 

ARF: Currently, my work is focused on the development of my Final Degree Project, where I am dedicated to the study and evaluation of Windows loads in the Kubernetes container environment. More specifically, I am analysing the feasibility of containerising Windows services on this platform, seeking to improve efficiency.

CBT: I am working on my dissertation on Trusted Execution Environments, in the area of Security.

HMB: I am doing my dissertation on new Incremental and Lifelong Learning algorithms in the field of Industry 4.0 and networks of interconnected IoT devices. These algorithms fall under the umbrella of Artificial Intelligence and are intended to allow models to continue learning without forgetting their knowledge as they are trained.

 

What do you like most about your work?

ARF: The atmosphere and the help you are always offered. Also, being able to do the internship and now working on my dissertation is helping me learn in a more practical way and acquire new concepts.

CBT: To be able to participate in real-world projects that truly influence technical progress.

HMB: All the new concepts I am learning in a much more practical way than at university. What’s more, it’s a really nice atmosphere and you feel very comfortable.

 

Who is your female role model or reference in the world of technology?

ARF: My cousin, who is also an engineer.

CBT: It is difficult for me to find a female reference in the world of technology because the women I really have as references do not belong to that field.

HMB: My mother and my sister, as they are both engineers.

 

How do you envision your career in technology? Where would you like to go?   

ARF: I like to set myself challenges and fight to achieve them. I don’t have a defined objective but I would like to be involved in contributing to technological advances that improve people’s quality of life or address social issues. I look to push myself beyond my limits, creating technology that has a positive and meaningful impact on society, so that I can go as far as possible.

CBT: I’m setting small goals so that, little by little, I can go further and further without limiting myself. I’d like to get to a point where I look back and am proud of what I have achieved, that my work really has some effect on the world of technology.

HMB: I’m an ambitious person, so I don’t want to set limits for myself and I’m going to try to go as far as I can. I hope that my career will be long-lasting and that I can always enjoy myself in the process, being able to participate on the technical side and in team management. I’d also like to be able to apply technology to the social and health fields. I think the most important thing is to show the world that our work can improve everyone’s daily life.

 

What would you say to the tech workers of the future?

ARF: There are so many different areas within technology. You are constantly learning new things that will enrich you greatly.

CBT: It’s a world in which you’re always progressing and learning, with great opportunities in engineering and education.

HMB: That they enjoy technology, as it covers so many areas that you can learn about whatever you like most.