Women at Mirada

Where does your interest in Computer Science come from? What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young I wanted to be a vet, as I’ve always been absolutely obsessed with animals. But it was my aunt who made an even greater impression on me. Back then (and still to this day), she was one of the pioneers in computer usage in the steel industry – a particularly male-dominated field. She’s always been a reference to me and she awakened my curiosity and interest to delve into this world.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to face in your professional career so far?

Working at Mirada comes with its challenges, in the sense that it’s a fast-paced technology company immersed in a process of continuous adaptation. Recently, I travelled to Mongolia to work with one of our clients, and adapting to such a different culture was definitely a big one for me.

Having said that, I think that one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had was a few years ago. I volunteered to manage and execute the dismantling and mounting of an entire server chassis from one city to another city, with all the electronic network and SAN. For those of you who are familiar with what I’m talking about, you’ll know that it’s everything but easy! It required a lot of studying and prior knowledge. I remember I safeguarded these hundreds of kilos of paraphernalia for 452 km in the back of the truck all the way to our final destination. After a week of assembly, the result was a complete success. That’s when I learnt that, with effort, anything is possible.

You won the Spanish individual AND mixed badminton championships two and three years ago. What role do you think sport can play in empowering women?

As a matter of fact, badminton is currently undergoing a huge phase of empowerment thanks to Carolina Marín who’s the reigning Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion, among other titles. However, behind all of this, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Within the senior women’s category, we’re fighting to push females in sport, not just for the younger sportswomen but also for the seniors, who are the ones who always had to take a back seat due to work, maternity and other reasons. We’re seeking the support from the Spanish Federation but sadly, it’s not a smooth process to say the least.

Any book or movie addressing gender equality that you’d like to recommend to our readers?

I would recommend Monstruas y centauras. In this book, Marta Sanz analyses the 8th March and other important movements and events that feminism is going through, and it includes women’s voices from contrasting perspectives. Personally, it has helped me to realign my thoughts in this turmoil and to keep fighting for a feminist discourse to contest our differences in terms of economic and social handicaps.