The Importance of #ApplaudHer

#ApplaudHer is a movement started in the Women Who Code community to recognize and appreciate the accomplishments of our fellow women engineers. The work being done by tech professionals around the globe is real world magic, and it is changing the fundamental nature of our society. By shining a spotlight on the professional triumphs of our peers, our colleagues, and ourselves, we are contributing to a culture of respect and inclusion that values the success of all of its members.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Barcelona Director Mavi Jiménez accepted a job as a senior developer at HolaLuz, a female-founded startup.

#ApplaudHer – Khushbu Parakh of WWCode Bangalore was chosen to be a speaker at DjangoCon.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Chennai member Ramya Authappan spoke at #Rootconf on “Asynchronous” Integration Tests for Micro-services.

On an individual level, #ApplaudHer can have a powerful effect. It's a form of validation and respect that comes backed by a global community of 100,000 Women Who Code members all of whom want to stand up and cheer for what you've done, what you've accomplished. It shows that your work is more than just the day to day tasks at your job, it is a contribution to the greater tech industry, and to the future innovation of the world. In this way, we hope to inspire women everywhere to strive, to succeed, and to accomplish their dreams.

Check out this list of every #ApplaudHer published in the CODE Review in 2017.

#ApplaudHer – Iulia Baltoi and Daniela Bulgaru of WWCode London Participated at NASA's Space Apps challenge and won People's Choice award with their team with the project Renew.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Birmingham Director Shirley Hicks is the new CompTIA A+ instructor for Innovate Birmingham's Generation Initiative IT bootcamps.

#ApplaudHer – Lori Hill of WWCode Seattle was featured in an article on NBC News about returning to work after a career break.

On a community level, the #ApplaudHer allows us to encourage and support one another. Women might be a minority in the tech industry, but when we stand together, championing one another’s efforts, celebrating our individual and group successes, and encouraging one another to reach for and accomplish our dreams, then we can do anything. Together our voices are louder and our will is stronger.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode East Bay member Camille Villa accepted a job with Stanford University as a Digital Library Research Engineer.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode SV member Laura Thomson was promoted to Sr. Director of Engineering, Firefox Engineering Operations at Mozilla.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Atlanta member Whitley Bacon accepted a job with Google in Atlanta as a Customer Engineer on the Google Cloud Platform team.

On an industry level #ApplaudHer has the power to effect fundamental change. There is an incorrect perception that colors the public conception of tech, creating a collective understanding of what an engineer is supposed to look like. With #ApplaudHer we are shattering that false mold and shedding light on the accomplishments of the many and varied people who are doing amazing things every single day. We are rewriting the script to create a story that includes and values everyone.

#ApplaudHer – Nicole Klein of WWCode LA raised 1.6M in seed funding for her startup Betagig.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode NYC Director Cindy Juarez achieved a senior software engineer position at Bloomberg.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Boulder/Denver member Kathy Keating is currently in the Techstars Boulder 2017 accelerator program with her company Airstream Health.

#ApplaudHer #ApplaudHim #ApplaudThem #ApplaudYou

This is a movement that recognizes the accomplishments and talents of everyone. Rather than excluding any group, it emphasizes what we all have to contribute. In this way, it is an inherently inclusive practice, one that seeks to encourage that principle throughout the greater tech industry.

#ApplaudHer – WWCode Twin Cities Director Sarah Olson accepted a job with Trello as an iOS Developer.

#ApplaudHer – Caren García & Sara Inés Calderón of WWCode Austin were named on BeVisible's list of "Top Latinx Inspiring Engineers"

#ApplaudHer – Maddie Shang stepped up as the new Javascript lead for WWCode Toronto.

Now take a moment to think about someone that deserves a #ApplaudHer. It might be a friend or a colleague. Maybe it’s someone you work for or someone who works for you. It could be someone you read about or a friend of a friend. It might even be you. It doesn’t have to be just one person. Think of everyone you know who has done something great recently, that deserves to be recognized, then click here and tell us about it so that we can #ApplaudHer!

Special Note: We would like to say a special #ApplaudHer to all of the amazing people that help to make Women Who Code what it is. Our Directors, our Leaders, our Members, Sponsors, Partners, and Supporters. It’s only because of you that we are able to do the work that we do. So please support the Women Who Code cause, join your local Network, get involved, and consider making a donation to help keep us running. We really appreciate everything that you do.