Developers attend Latino Coding Summit at Stanford University

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation hosted the Latin@ Coder Summit Saturday at Stanford University. Over 450 Latino developers attended the coding summit that attracted students, entrepreneurs and professionals, according to Marketwatch. 

The Latin@ Coder Summit (LLCS) was a free, one-day event that featured workshops, discussions and networking opportunities. The LLCS is the largest gathering of Latino American programmers. Over 45 percent of the attendees at the summit were Latinas.

“The thought that the tech industry can’t find Latino programmers leads to the notion that there aren’t any Latino programmers and the next thought will be that Latinos aren’t capable, which is absolutely not true — and we want to prove it,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

“Seeing a Latino programmer shouldn’t be akin to seeing a unicorn. … We want to continue to shatter stereotypes and redefine the landscape of computer technology in Silicon Valley and across America while building a stronger community of innovators to move forward with greater unity, purpose and vision. The Summit is the first step then the CSL Initiative and other programs throughout the year we have developed to ensure Latinos have a strong presence in the tech industry,” Tijerino added.

Sponsors of the the LLCS included LinkedIn, Univision, Google, Kapor Center for Social Impact, Adelante Capital Management, Southwest Airlines and the Entertainment Software Association.

The Summit was part of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s new LOFT Code as a second language. The Foundation is using their networks to help introduce computer programming to students throughout America. Elementary, middle and high school students are all being taught programming through an eight-session course.

“We want to help immigrants provide America with a value proposition in the workforce from the moment they start the process to live in the U.S.,” added Tijerino.

For more information on the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, visit their website.

Article by Robert C. Weich III via www.latinpost.com