The Anita Borg Institute honors women who make a difference for diversity in the tech world with the Women of Vision award. This year, the award went to a number of deserving candidates, including Camila Achutti, a master’s student from Brazil.

To gain some insight into her experience, Jeff Frick, cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, joined Camila Achutti at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2015 conference.

Bringing technology skills to Brazil

Achutti was chosen by the Anita Borg Institute for her work on Women in Computing, a website devoted to providing a community for women in technology. The conversation started with a look into her thoughts on the tech sector and Brazil. She explained that Brazil was in a crisis right now, but tech skills could open the door for the population to rethink toward new opportunities.

She shared another concern about students going to the United States; it’s important for those students to bring their new skills back home to improve their communities. Achutti also pointed out that people could use a little knowledge of technology to change the way they work, and thus, vastly improve their income.

Advice for the future

Things turned toward a question of the women starting their careers in tech, and young girls discovering the world of technology for the first time. Achutti gave her advice to these women, stressing the need to speak. They should should speak up for themselves and what they believe, she said. She also advised young women just exploring this new idea to find their purpose, what they need to do, and then learn to enjoy the journey.

She was also impressed by the Grace Hopper convention. Achutti expressed her joy at seeing such a large gathering of tech-focused women. She was also amazed by how quickly the convention had grown and changed over the years. It would be great to bring a similar event to Brazil, she said, as an example to all the young women there.

Watch the full video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Woman In Computing. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE