Hispanic Hackers
Leading and designing content for a non-profit dedicated to elevating the Latino tech community.
Role
President | Software Engineer
Location
Austin, Texas
Tools
Leadership, Next.js, React, TailwindCSS, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MongoDB, Git, Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Hispanic Hackers, Techqueria
Explore the Project
→ www.hispanichackers.com
Premise
This project is in the context of my work as a leader of an Austin-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, Hispanic Hackers. Hispanic Hackers aims to democratize the tech industry for people of Latino and Hispanic descent. Although our goal is to serve the Latino community, we are open to all developers, engineers, and innovators who are interested in our mission. This project is a case study of my work as the president of Hispanic Hackers.
Challenge
According to the US Census Bureau, people of Latino or Hispanic ethnicity make up 19.1% of the United States population. However, 1 out of every 6 of the Hispanic-identifying citizens live under the poverty line and Latinos make up only 8% of the tech workforce (Pew Research Center). With such a large disparity between Latinos and the promising US tech industry, the Hispanic population is in need of resources, community, and opportunities for advancement.
Solution
Elevating the Latino community in tech is where Hispanic Hackers shines. I am the president of the 2,500+ member 501(c)(3) non-profit which offers events, resources, and community to Latinos/Hispanics in the tech industry. As the president, I inherited an 8-year old group and turned it into a federally recognized organization. We are constantly forming new partnerships, providing a safe space for Latino voices, and creating new resources for our community. To support the organization, I am leading a team of developers, designers, and leaders to build our portfolio for change.
Development Tools
Design and Development Choices
Hispanic Hackers is the central resource for Latino tech in Austin and beyond. As such, we are partnered with mutliple local and global organizations to provide representation and opportunities to our community. In terms of media and branding, I have led the efforts to market Hispanic Hackers to a wider audience, providing community for developers, entrepreneurs, and all Latino innovators. We have upgraded our website to a Next.js website with Tailwind CSS and React components. To store user data and subscribers to our monthly newsletter, we have configured and connected a MongoDB database to our site. As we continue to grow, we hope to be able to provide a wider range of online resources including a member database, business information, and connections to our partnering organizations.
Result
As we continue to grow, we find more and more resources to provide to our community and are planning to expand with new initiatives for Latinos in the United States and LATAM. More information on our upcoming events can be found at the website given above. The below images are website designs I created that are a work in progress for revitalizing our online presence. Because my time is stretched thin, I am bringing on other developers and designers to enhance the appearance and growth of Hispanic Hackers. As a leader, I hope to elevate the Latino tech community to new heights.
