WIB-Seattle at Women in Tech Regatta: Discover Your Hidden Figure – Empowering Women in STEM & Tech

WIB-Seattle partnered with Women In Technology (WIT) and the Women in Tech Regatta to host a powerful evening celebrating the legacy of the "Hidden Figures" — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Mann Darden — whose work changed the course of history at NASA. The event included an interactive workshop and discussions encouraging attendees to reflect on their hidden achievements and strengths in STEM, biotech, and life sciences.

Highlights:

• Participants selected personality cards representing each "Hidden Figure" (e.g., Katherine – confident/assertive, Dorothy – determined/strong-minded). They connected their traits to their achievements and frustrations that they might have gone through.
• There were open discussions about personal and professional challenges, including impostor syndrome, layoffs, workplace bias, and the often unseen labor women contribute in startups and corporations.
• Some of these discussions included talks about growing up as the youngest or oldest child with family responsibilities, the struggles of fitting in as an immigrant, being lifted into leadership roles by mentors who recognized hidden talents, learning to step back from overcommitment and reclaim time for self-growth, and confronting challenges in male-dominated tech start-ups, where contributions often went unrecognized.

Quotes from Attendees:

As an immigrant, I never quite fit in. I kept trying to adjust to the system and be accepted. But now I realize that being myself is enough.

I was often the only woman in my tech startup, and I saw others get credit for my work. That used to break me. Now, I just want to live for myself—on my terms.

I didn’t think I had leadership potential — until someone else saw it in me. That’s when I started believing I could lead too.

I used to take on everything, thinking it was expected of me. But I reached a point where I said: 'Enough. I need to reclaim time for myself so I can be my best self.'

My most rewarding experience was delivering pathology products during the pandemic.

I realized — I’m a scientist and a businesswoman, and I belong here.

As a business owner, I do a lot of work behind the scenes, supporting other organizations. People don’t always see it, but the impact is real.

Anquida Adams:

As you unpack these things that are happening to you, you get a clear understanding of how you would like to show up — not as a hidden figure, but as the person you were born to be within your space.

You're able to make change when you're finally ready to do something different and see different results.

Our goal is to unpack our gifts, to stop hiding, and to begin showing up in every space as fully ourselves.

Submitted by Yulia Ovechkina