Dora Dzvonyar
Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DzDorie
Linkedin: https://de.linkedin.com/pub/dora-dzvonyar/5a/274/216
What is your background?
I am doing a PhD in applied software engineering, which means I get to teach students how to develop mobile applications! I am also a curator and speaker coach for TEDxTUM, a group devoted to ideas worth spreading in the Munich area, and I am a freelance trainer at HABA Digitalwerkstatt where we help children, parents and teachers to discover and learn to create things with digital technology.
What inspired you to become a software engineer?
I see software engineering as a toolset to build solutions to whatever problems you see around you. It’s also a very collaborative and communicative field in which one gets to meet people from different backgrounds and learns to understand their issues.
Why did you become a Geekettes ambassador?
Having met many amazing women in technology, I stopped believing that both genders can’t achieve the same goals in these fields, and nobody can convince me otherwise. I hope that by fostering the Munich Geekettes community, we can do the same for our attendees.
Tell a fun fact about yourself.
I like to give funny names to my digital devices. For example, my iPhone is called “Umberto”.
Any advice for your local/global Geekettes?
Find the thing that makes you get up even though you are hungover, and go for it.
Steffi Feldmann
Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteffiFeldmann
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffifeldmann/
What is your background?
I used to study electrical engineering - never finished though ;-) After that, I studied International Business Communications - which I actually finished.
During my last semester at uni, I founded my first company in Munich. I haven’t stopped founding ever since. :-) Up until today I’ve founded 7 (tech) startups within the last 5 years.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Building your own thing, taking risks, taking everything into your own hands: that’s what I find fascinating about being an entrepreneur! Plus, I’d be awful as an employee working for a big company tbh ;-)
Why did you become a Geekettes ambassador?
I absolutely share the Geekettes’s mission and I strongly believe that society as well as the corporate (tech) world can only benefit from empowered women. Munich needs the Geekettes and I’m happy to be able to contribute to that.
Tell a fun fact about yourself.
I was once told that there’s only one person with more facial expressions than me: Jim Carrey. Not sure whether that was a compliment or not ;)
What is the best advice you ever received?
Never change who you are - for no-one. (Even though it sometimes seems to be the easier route.)
Any advice for your local/global Geekettes?
Accept the challenge and celebrate failure! At least in my experience, that’s the quickest way to learn and grow.
Mariana Avezum
Links
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-avezum-b1792856/
What is your background?
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, it took me a computer science degree and countless memories in Munich to calm down from the crazy city. Some would argue I still haven't calmed down. After deciding that getting a fast degree wasn't really my thing, I spent the last year of my masters leading the WARR Hyperloop team, which eventually won the first ever SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. Today I'm still ever-bound to university, and doing a PhD to try to figure out how we can optimize (city!) traffic.
What inspired you to become a Computer Scientist?
My friends. It wasn't until my longest friend ever started to study CS, and explained to me what it actually was, that I realized it was a perfect fit. How can you not love using logic and technology to solve a few of the world's problems? Add that and amazing people working on amazing projects, and you really do see the impact small groups can actually make.
Why did you become a Geekettes ambassador?
To help bring together some of the aforementioned amazing people working on amazing projects. I really feel that if people talked (and listened!) more to another, human potential could be increased by orders of magnitude. Also, we are all women with similar problems, and hopefully by telling others how we overcame them, some more women can apply to the field.
Tell a fun fact about yourself.
I can prepare exactly one brazilian snack, and bring the same thing to every "Represent your country" event, but since it's always a different group, people think it's awesome. Germans really do like it. I buy the dough mostly done.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Allow me to quote Robert Frost:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Any advice for your local/global Geekettes?
Don't be scared, but more important than that, don't give up on the things you believe in. I don't know anyone who ever succeeded in anything, that didn't question it 135436397 times before if it was actually going to work.
