TRAILBLAZER
“ My volunteer work stemmed from my passion for engineering and dedication to expanding minority participation in STEM fields ,” she said . “ I am incredibly passionate about motivating women in STEM to continue their engineering education and become leaders .”
To encourage and celebrate Latinas in engineering , as well as across STEM , Iracheta founded Latina Engineer and the Diana Iracheta Foundation NFP as a place to show off Latina talent .
The non-profit organisation is a network of Ingenieras , which seeks to empower minority groups studying or working across STEM and offer them developmental resources . Latinas account for just 2 % of STEM professionals and Latina Engineer aims to increase this figure . Over the past two years , Iracheta has hosted various
events where Ingenieras have shared their stories , fears and aspirations . She offers one-on-one calls with STEM students , creates educational content full of engineering school advice and job search resources – all with the vision to advance the representation of Latinas in engineering .
The foundation launched an annual conference in October , International Latina Engineer Week . The aim behind this is to shine a spotlight on all of the incredible Latinas who work in engineering and create a platform for them to network together and inspire others .
Iracheta was the Keynote speaker for SHPEtinas Region 5 Conference , part of SHPE in 2022 . She received the ICCTA Pacesetter award in 2020 and is a co-author in Hispanic Stars Rising : A New Face of Power .
18 December 2022