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Estella Gonzalaz Madison is a computer programmer, web developer, and co-founder of Women Who Code’s New York network.
When did you know you were into computers and coding?
My undergrad is actually in English literature. At the end of my undergraduate I got interested in HTML. I found a masters program for people that didn't have a background in computer science. So I gave that a shot and I got a job as soon as I graduated with a small web design firm in Chicago. I was there for 10 years and that's how I got started.
What, if any, barriers did you encounter as a woman in computer coding?
When I did my masters there were like a 100 students doing their masters. And there were only four women. We were definitely a cluster and we stuck together. It's really intimidating to ask questions when you are the only woman.
I also consider myself a feminine woman: I like to wear heels and I like to dress up and I wear makeup. So people were just like “oh you don't look like a programmer”--little comments like that, and not being taken seriously, you know?
How many other women were at your first job?
I was the only female until about 2005. Then we hired another female but she wasn't in a technical role.
What is Women Who Code?
We're a global non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring women to pursue careers in technology.
Why did you decide to begin the New York chapter of Women Who Code?
I was really shocked there wasn't a Women Who Code network in New York. So I just emailed the CEO in San Francisco and asked her what she thought about starting a New York network, and she set me up with Elizabeth who is my co-founder, and it just went from there.
What is the purpose behind Women Who Code?
Encouraging women to get together and study and bounce ideas off each other and network and just providing a safe place for women to actually put that time in to learning something new. There's meet up groups that do that for men and women but you'll find that you're the only woman there. And it's really intimidating to ask a room full of men a question. So I think when it's all women, it's less intimidating and more encouraging.
When did the New York network begin?
We started in April of last year. April 2014.
What's the response been so far?
So we're the fastest growing Women Who Code network right now, and growing by like 50-80 members a month. In less than a year we've grown to about 2000 members, and we're now the second largest network [San Fransisco is the largest]. So it's been amazing.
What’s the best story from someone who attends your sessions?
We had one woman who had no programming background. And she had just recently become unemployed. And I helped her get her github account set up. I taught her some commands and gave her some resources that I thought were useful. And she kept coming to our meet ups. It took her 5 months, but she eventually found a job as a programmer. And she emailed us at the beginning of the year thanking us, and asking us if she could volunteer to give back to the community, and that was really remarkable.
In your experience, why aren't girls into coding and computer sciences?
I think there's this misconception that you have to be into gaming and that you have to be a guy in a t-shirt sitting in a dark room just hacking away at a computer. Being in computer science can be very social..