#codewithkindness

This post is part of our Your Django Story series where we highlight awesome ladies who work with Django.

Hi! My name is Juliana. I was born and raised in the vibrant city of Cartagena (Colombia) and am now living in Stockholm, where I’m wrapping up a masters in Strategic Information Systems Management at Stockholm University, building on my background in business management. 

I’m currently writing my thesis at Scania, as part of their research and development department. My work aims to propose a requirements engineering framework for electric vehicle system development;  requirements are the conditions or functionalities a system must meet to fulfill its purpose. My study has an IT-Business alignment focus, and the goal is to simplify how system requirements are gathered and managed during development, ensuring they are traceable and verifiable.

Can you share your experience with Django Girls and how it has influenced your path to where you are today?

In 2019, I joined a Django Girls workshop about Python in Cartagena. I was studying business management at the time, and I was curious about coding, but I was not thinking about getting into tech, it was a 'mini-adventure'. Honestly, it was very overwhelming at first, but later I was amazed when I saw the projects built by members, and many of the possibilities, and I got the sense that it was something I wanted and needed to learn. 

I put the tech scene on hold for a while, but eventually came back with a clear purpose: blending my business background with IT.  Django Girls was the spark: the workshop was an introduction to a community that supported my masters journey, and continues to influence me as I build my profile as a business analyst. 

The Django Girls workshop helped me see myself differently. Not just as someone curious about tech, but as someone who belongs in it. Today, I’m building a career that bridges business and technology, and I’m just getting started!

What was it like to switch or re-focus your career towards tech? What drove that change for you?

Three things motivated me: curiosity, impact and representation. I wanted to work on meaningful projects, and I believe tech brings possibilities and scalability to this. Moreover, seeing more women getting into tech through workshops and communities, gave me more reasons to believe I could too. I’ve also felt the common “imposter syndrome”, but we’re thriving here no matter what!

Yes, it was challenging to pivot from business to IT—or well, blend them—but it was very much worth it.

What are your thoughts on the relationship between diversity and the tech world? How do you see the two influencing each other?

Representation matters, always! When I see another latina in tech, I see myself in tech. I also believe diversity brings different perspectives, and we NEED this. We need knowledge and solutions from different backgrounds, which is the only way to tackle today’s and coming complex challenges. DEI shouldn't be a trend, it should be a foundation.

What are your tech interests?

I see tech as a means, as a solution, as an endless journey. For me tech = opportunity (when used responsibly, I must state). 

I’m especially interested in how tech can simplify and improve processes: within organizations, between organizations and customers, and across communities. 'How can this be improved?' is always on my mind, and 'what systems can we implement?'. For example, the retail industry has a huge waste problem globally. Incorporating the use of ML models for accurate product demand forecasting can help reduce overproduction, excess inventory and waste. This is an industry and projects I’d like to work on in the future. 

Tech is more than information systems, it’s systems with intention.

What do you enjoy outside of tech? How do these connect with your overall journey?

Outside of tech, I am a bookworm and community builder. I’ve founded two book clubs: Club Entrelíneas in Cartagena (2017), and Bookish Stockholm (2023). Entrelíneas is still active thanks to my friend Keren Rivas, who stepped in as director in 2022.

Our sessions often lead to deep conversations, including our complex relationship with tech. Some faves for this: Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang, Solaris by Stanisław Lem and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—a classic that started both book clubs. This community keeps me grounded, curious and connected. I also enjoy cooking and dancing, and I recently started practicing yoga to maintain my wellbeing.

This year we ran a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo’s Generosity website with the aim of raising US $10,000 to help us cover our operation and staff costs. We managed to raise $13,314 from 147 donors - 133% of our original goal. We would like to thank everyone who supported us by spreading the word about our campaign as well as donate to our cause.

We are very grateful for the tremendous support we got from the tech community. We would especially like to thank everyone who helped us reach our target by donating. We had various reward levels starting from $5 to $300 but we still had many donors who gave above the reward levels despite missing out on the reward. For this, we are very grateful.

We have published a list of our donors here . Thank you so much for supporting us. Your support means the world to us and we hope you will keep supporting our work.

To find out more about our crowdfunding supporters, please visit this web page.