Athena’s Bio
Athena Xiao is a Product Manager at Microsoft and Research Assistant at Harvard Business School. Prior to transferring to Brandeis University for a Computer Science degree, she studied at International Business Schools in China and Switzerland. She also got entrepreneurship training at Draper University in Silicon Valley. Athena is very active in women in tech communities. She is a speaker at Women Who Code(WWC) and mentor and former fellow at Rewriting the Code(RTC). She is also very involved in projects with social impacts. She is part of event planning team for 48in48 and participant for MIT Assistive Technology Hack.
Follow her:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChuyueXiao
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/athena-xiao/
Medium https://medium.com/@athena.xcy.
WITH GROUPS CREATING PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE FEMALES TO CONSIDER STEM, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO ENTRY THAT IS STILL PREVALENT TODAY?
The biggest barrier is the prevalent male dominant scene and lack of female role model. When I work as an intern, or do job interviews, the majority of people I meet are male. I feel very self-conscious when I notice that I am the only female in the room. It's as if I am representing my gender and people would judge me more harshly because of the gender bias. The expectation to do well is much higher because if I fail, I am afraid that people would conclude that it's because I am a female, not lack of skills or experiences. This situation is worse when the workplace claims to support diversity but fails to do so.
WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU?
I am always driven by love. More specifically, love for myself, love for people I know and care, and love for humankind in general. I know in a world where technology is becoming increasingly important, love is far less discussed and seemingly outdated. But human beings are so lonely in this vast, unknown, and careless universe. Our human nature craves for love, warmth, and connection. We already have lots of physical constraints to fight with: aging, disease, disabilities, poverty, prejudice, etc., and we never know what would happen to us in the next second. So I want to spend every single second of my life loving myself and others. I want my existence to make people’s lives better, whatever that means. It can be to build inclusive communities and meaningful relationships, to fulfill a wish of a child who has terminal disease, to give millions of learners access to high quality education materials, to help non-profits succeed in their missions, to empathize people when it’s tempting to judge. I have a technical background and love technology, but ultimately, I care about people and that’s what drives me every day.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT/ACCOMPLISHMENT?
I see myself as a very lucky person. Most of my achievements are only partly due to my efforts, and largely due to resources and support I receive. So my proudest moments are when I use my skills, capabilities, experiences, and empathy to help others out. It's incredibly empowering. I always feel honored when someone reaches out to me for help. It takes courage and trust to be vulnerable and authentic. I always say people also help me if they let me help them, because I always want to find ways to pay it forward. Hence, I am very active in non-profits world and social impact projects.
Last year I won a 2nd prize in 48in48, a skill-based volunteer event when technical volunteers gather to build or improve websites for non-profits, which cannot afford technical staff. This year, I joined the event planning committee to help organize its event in NYC. I also participated in MIT Assistive Technology Hacking and built a physical product for a lady with severe nerve damage. The product helps her to do recovery exercises easily on a normal rowing machine without substantial help from gym staff. It empowers her to be independent, and to make steady progress, so she can make a strong case to persuade insurance company to continuously pay for her bill. I am proud to see I use my skills and efforts to make others' world a little bit better.