Written by volunteer writer Adithya Ganesh

On January 28, 2020, during an International Women’s Day focused podcast, Jackie Brusch, host of the Mobiquity podcast, talked with Anna Budney, a User Experience Architect and Kaci Kwiatek, a User Experience Designer, about their affiliation with TechGirlz. Anna Budney got into volunteering when she and her mentor helped out a TechGirlz workshop for Designing Mobile Apps. Anna then showed Kaci the program, and they both began to regularly volunteer together.

Kaci shared that when Anna showed her the organization, she immediately jumped at the chance, since she loves to volunteer and help in the community. Just hearing about what the girls were able to accomplish and how excited they were drew her into the program. She exclaimed she wished programs like this existed back when she was a kid in order to help others like her foster their interests in the technological field. This is something we hear very often from our volunteers!

Anna noted how she likes that you can help others learn, but you can also learn a thing or two, as well. She went on to explain how it helps you be a better person in all ways, whether it is broadening your skillset, or being able to make a topic appealing to a certain audience and keep them engaged.

During the podcast, Anna and Kaci shared the ease that goes with volunteering for TechGirlz. The website, email newsletter, and slack channel helps to keep volunteers connected and informed. They made sure to let listeners know that TechGirlz is nationwide and urged them to go out and volunteer.

Kaci and Anna both believe having the feeling that they are helping the future generation of women in tech is most rewarding when volunteering with TechGirlz.