BrainStation Selects ‘Women on the Rise’ Scholarship Winner
As the Manager of BrainStation’s Admissions team, I was very excited to be able to review the countless applications that came through for the Techvibes Women on the Rise Scholarship.
In an effort to end the gender gap that exists in the technology industry and that we see persisting in our Web Development Immersive course, this scholarship was to be awarded to one woman and covering the entirety of the tuition cost.
We are pleased to announce that the scholarship recipient this fall is Linda Ristevski, a Technical Writer in Toronto who is familiar with being one of the few women in her field.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Education in Mathematics and Computer Science she noticed that there was a huge gap in computer literacy in the school system, exacerbated by a lack of access to new technology and no compulsory programming courses in the curriculum. Linda wants to bring more girls and women into the technology industry both to encourage more youth to learn to code, but also so that she can be a leader in the effort to get rid of the gender gap completely.
“Joining BrainStation’s Web Development Immersive program will fast track my new career! I know that the BrainStation education team will help me navigate the rough terrain of rookie mistakes and challenging projects. It’s also a chance to find a mentor who can guide me with career choices and give honest feedback,” says Linda. And while she’s excited about embarking on a new path, she is candid about the challenges that face many women looking to enter the technology industry. “Changing careers has its exciting and frightening moments,” says Linda. “My biggest fear is feeling like a poser. I want to address those feelings as early as possible to stay focused on what I’m here for: learning a new craft.”
Many women in the tech industry share Linda’s feelings about feeling like an outsider, as illustrated in Jessica Bianchi’s recent article about leveraging her BrainStation experiences and Tech Fest to move from banking to Canada’s hottest tech startup, VarageSale.
With the program beginning in less than a week, Linda is also excited to meet motivated, like minded people that she can collaborate with and learn from. As a past teacher and an active volunteer she knows the value of working with people who all share different perspectives. We’re excited to see her bring her excitement and passion about technology into this fall’s Web Development Immersive course at our new campus at the corner of King and Spadina.
As part of Techvibes’ and BrainStation’s continued action, all women in the full time course will automatically receive $500 off this fall and until we’ve reached our goal of gender balance in the classroom. We only have a few spots left, please contact admissions@brainstation.io for more information on how you can apply and develop yourself professionally in the field of web development!
