International Latina Engineer Week
Latinas Built to Thrive — Where Excellence Meets Community
Founded in 2020, ILEW connects students and professionals with a powerful network of Ingenieras — helping them navigate and overcome the unique challenges Latinas face in STEM.
Throughout the week, you’ll have access to live virtual sessions, career opportunities, a mentoring program, scholarships, and more — all designed to accelerate your career journey.
Register today to connect with other Latinas and women in STEM. Come find your next best friend, role model, and biggest inspiration.
ILEW 2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
101 Investing: A Beginner’s Guide – De Mi Para Ti
Speaker: Estefania Rios
Most investing content is written for people who already have money, already have the vocabulary, and already have someone in their family who explained the stock market to them growing up. That was not my experience and that is not most Latina women’s experience. Many of us are the first in our families to even have a savings account, let alone a brokerage one. “De Mi Para Ti” flips that: this isn’t a lecture from a stranger, its guidance passed from one Latina to another, the way it should have been passed down all along. The goal isn’t to make people investing experts in one session but to remove the fear, the jargon, and the “this isn’t for people like me” feeling and replace it with a clear first step they can take this week.
Finding Your Why, And Holding To It
Speaker: Maria Jose Rey
I would like to talk about the importance of having a goal or dream to hold on to when things get difficult. As overachievers, people pleasers, and especially as women in STEM, we can sometimes become so focused on proving that we deserve the place we are in or the opportunities we have been given, particularly when we come from another country to pursue a degree, that we lose sight of why we chose this path in the first place. That pressure can eventually lead to burnout, frustration, or deep discouragement. The reason why we initially decided to pursue science can become blurry as we become more focused on meeting expectations, proving our worth, and constantly feeling like we have to earn our place. Having a clear sense of purpose can help us reconnect with that original motivation and give us something meaningful to hold on to when things get hard.
Discover What’s Possible: The Unexpected Pathway to Becoming an Engineering Professor
Speaker: Mariantonieta Gutiérrez Soto
This presentation will introduce the journey of a former student athlete of a NCAA division 1 to her current position as academic professor. It will discuss how the impact of Hurricane Ian provided a spark toward a career in designing resilient structures navigating decisions align the way on graduate school, industry, and research.
Keynote Session – The Power of Vulnerability
Speaker: Venezia Ramirez
My presentation shares the journey of pursuing a lifelong dream of becoming an engineer while navigating personal challenges, family responsibilities, and academic demands. After making the courageous decision to transition from environmental health and breast cancer research into engineering at USC, I quickly learned that success requires more than technical skills. It requires resilience, vulnerability, and a strong support system.
Beyond Balance: Building a Career While Building a Life
Speaker: Flor Hernandez
For many ambitious women, career growth does not happen in isolation. It happens alongside family responsibilities, relationships, education, personal goals, and the everyday demands of life. As an engineer, mother of two, wife, and part-time MBA student, I have learned that trying to achieve perfect “work-life balance” can often create more pressure than peace. Instead, I have learned to think about balance differently: not as giving every part of my life equal time and energy every day, but as intentionally deciding what needs me most in a particular season.
Confidence Before Credentials
Speaker: Camila Meza Hernandez
Confidence Before Credentials challenges the belief that you need to have every qualification, title, or achievement before pursuing leadership opportunities. In STEM, many women wait until they feel “ready” before applying for jobs, speaking up in meetings, seeking promotions, or taking on leadership roles. This session explores how confidence is built through action—not perfection.
A Financial Roadmap for Early-Career Women in STEM
Speaker: Danay Fernandez
This workshop is designed to help students and early-career STEM professionals understand what to do after the paycheck arrives. We will start by looking at the difference between salary, total compensation, and actual spendable income, and explore the concept of “paying yourself first” by intentionally allocating money toward savings, retirement, and long-term goals before allowing spending to expand around a new salary.
Attendees will learn how to evaluate common employer benefits, including 401(k) plans and employer matches, HSAs versus FSAs, and the fundamentals of stock-based compensation such as RSUs and vesting. We will also introduce Roth IRAs, basic investing and diversification concepts, and strategies that may become relevant as income grows, including Backdoor Roth IRA and Mega Backdoor Roth contributions.