Zoe Hinck

October 15, 2020

Virtual Workshop - Meet Our Facilitators!

Zoe Hinck

October 15, 2020

Our Virtual Workshop is tonight - Thursday, October 15th at 6pm! Read about our workshop facilitators who will share specific experiences and perspectives that will benefit and/or encourage attendees.

- Manasa Mannava -

facilitator

Manasa Mannava is a technology enthusiast with comprehensive experience in building scalable software. She specializes in full stack software development and works for RealPage Inc as a Full Stack Software Developer. Four years ago, she graduated from Arizona State University with a Master's degree in Computer Software Engineering.

Manasa enjoys singing carnatic classical music and painting during free time. She also wouldn't miss out on nature hikes and beach sports!

- amanda antonelli -

facilitator

Amanda Antonelli is an Environmental Planner/Project Manager with a specialization in water supply infrastructure. She works with municipal water agencies on projects across California, including recycled water, groundwater recharge, wastewater treatment, and pipeline expansion. At Rincon Consultants, Amanda evaluates the potential environmental impacts of proposed infrastructure projects. Amanda received a Master's of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UCSB, where she specialized in Water Resources Management. Before working on water infrastructure in California, Amanda worked for several years in sustainable international development in Washington DC and overseas. Amanda is a lifelong surfer (of small waves), and in her spare time you can find her going on bluffs walks with her wife, Sarah, and their dog, Zazu.

- sarah antonelli -

facilitator

Sarah Antonelli is an environmental professional with experience in geospatial science, strategic communication, and database management. She has been working for several years as a data scientist, specializing in spatial data management and visualization for renewable energy development, groundwater remediation, and human health risk assessment projects in the United States. She is passionate about harnessing data to make informed decisions about environmental, financial, and human health. Sarah is currently working as a GIS Analyst at ENGIE North America in Santa Barbara.

- emma kroloff-

facilitator

Emma Kroloff is a PA-C (Physician Assistant) in Santa Barbara. She works in pediatric orthopedics in an outpatient clinic and does surgery inpatient at Cottage Hospital with two physicians -- Dr. Early and Dr. Maguire. Emma earned her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Saint Mary’s College of California where she was a D1 student athlete on the soccer and cross country team. She then went on to earn her Physician Assistant degree at the University of Southern California. In her free time, Emma enjoys hiking, backpacking, trail running, and climbing.

Emma developed a passion for orthopedics early on in her medical education after working with the team physician for the Chicago Bulls. Her interests include sports medicine and pediatrics.

- lauren vucovich -

facilitator

Lauren Vucovich is a Lead Product Manager at Evidation Health. She leads a team that covers Product Management, Product Operations, and User Experience for software products that engage individuals in health research opportunities. Prior to Evidation Health, Lauren completed her PhD in Computational Cognitive Neuroscience at UC Santa Barbara. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys visiting national parks, hiking, and watching the Great British Baking Show.

- alena higgins -

facilitator

Alena Higgins is a Scientist on Apeel's Molecular Sciences Team focused on extracting, purifying, and transforming valuable compounds from biomass for use in Apeel's technologies. By sourcing materials from discarded biomass, her work aims to serve Apeel's mission of reducing food waste by giving new value to fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste in the processing of food products. A member of the Apeel team since 2016 - when she began as an Extractions Intern - Alena became an Extraction Scientist in 2018 after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She fills her free time with friends, family, and her dog by enjoying quiet activities like knitting, watching movies, and driving through Santa Barbara's beautiful mountains in search of the perfect ocean view.

- graciela “grace” vega -

facilitator

Graciela “Grace” Vega is a first-generation Salvadorian American who was the first in her family to graduate high school, obtain a bachelor’s degree, and is currently completing the last year of her master’s degree. Grace is currently working in the mental health field focusing primarily with at-risk youth within the Latinx community. Grace strives to become a pillar of support and growth for the Latinx community here in Santa Barbara in hopes of normalizing and prioritizing mental health. Having previously been on track to apply to medical school, with over 10 years of experience in the medical field, she has a lot of insight into the process and isn’t afraid to share advice. Grace is also a local artist and poet who has helped to both host art events and showcase her art to the Santa Barbara community. It is important for Grace to share her knowledge and experiences with others because she believes life is not a competition and often times you are not alone in your fears of the future.

Zoe Hinck

October 5, 2020

Virtual Panel - Meet Our Panelists!

Zoe Hinck

October 5, 2020

Our Virtual Panel is coming up on Thursday, October 8th at 6pm! Read about our panelists who will be sharing THEIR INSIGHTS AND knowledge about working in the time of Covid.

- Elosia Chavez -

Moderator, SBWiStem Board Member

Working with primarily low-income populations, Eloisa has dedicated her efforts in the Santa Barbara Community to fill gaps in resources for health-related issues with various nonprofit organizations.

Looking for a new challenge, Eloisa is now leading the effort to expand access to eye care for low-income, uninsured/under-insured patients nationwide with SEE International. Previously, she provided type 2 diabetes education and conducted field research with the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.

A Los Angeles native, she has made the Santa Barbara Community her home for the last 13 years. She frequently volunteers with Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, and helps where she notices the most need. Eloisa has enjoyed volunteering throughout her life and has volunteered with over 20 organizations around Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties.

Along with volunteering, Eloisa also enjoys traveling, backpacking, and learning about the world of wine during her free time.

- Nikia Acy -

Panelist

Nikia Acy, multitalented New York native relocated to Santa Barbara in August 2014. Previously a professional dancer, Nikia has trained with Alvin Ailey, performed with the Oscar nominated group IMPACT Repertory Theater, and performed in several charity events. While completing her Bachelor's in Organizational Communication from CSUCI Nikia joined the Santa Barbara Young Black Professionals as the driving force behind the networking events and annual events such as #BlackArtNow! Nikia currently works as a Social Media Coordinator for HOKA ONE ONE and enjoys avid traveling, fitness, and reading in her spare time.

- Latrece Seneca -

Panelist

Latrece Seneca was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is a proud east coast graduate of the University at Buffalo where she received a B.A. in psychology and education in 2008. From there she went right down the road to Buffalo State College to earn a master's degree in college student personnel in 2010. Her career experiences include serving as the hall director at International House at the University of Toledo in Ohio, after her family moved to Columbus, Ohio. In 2014, she moved to sunny California to work at UCSB and served as resident director of Santa Rosa residence hall for a year and as complex coordinator of undergraduate apartments for three years. Latrece loves being the associate director for Orientation, as she was a student Orientation staff member many moons ago and she enjoys working with incoming students, student staff, and parents. In her free time, Latrece enjoys going to concerts, dancing, being active in her sorority, and spending quality time with family, friends, and loved ones.

- Isabel Agundis -

Panelist

In 2015, 18-year old Isabel Agundis left Mexico, the country of her birth, with the dream of obtaining a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from a premier university. In 2020, Isabel graduated as the commencement speaker from Santa Barbara City College and she transitioned as an undergraduate engineering student to San Jose State University. During her years at SBCC, Isabel was a mathematics tutor, served as a a board member for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) student chapter, and obtained professional experience through internships at NASA and Northrop Grumman. Isabel has received accolades from national organizations like Great Minds in STEM and National Engineers Week and she was recently appointed to provide advice to the President and the Executive Office of the President in policies related to science and technology as a member of the Students, Post-Doctoral Scholars and Early Career Professionals (SPEC) Subcommittee.

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- Izzy Bacon -

Panelist

Izzy Bacon is a recruiter at WELL Health, a healthtech startup located in Santa Barbara that was recently named one of the 2020 Central Coast Best Places to Work by the Pacific Coast Business Times. Izzy has been at WELL for a year, during which she has recruited for all departments. Izzy is passionate about hiring diverse, talented teams, and improving the candidate experience. When Izzy is not working, she can be found in her kitchen trying out a new recipe.

Panelist Spotlight: Izzy Bacon, Recruiter at WELL Health

Zoe Hinck

September 23, 2020

For those of you who don’t already know, Santa Barbara Women in STEM is hosting two virtual events in October that are focused on students and connecting them to resources during this confusing time.

The panel is part one of a two-part series.

I was lucky enough to connect with our panelist, Izzy Bacon, a recruiter at WELL Health, a healthtech startup located in Santa Barbara. She shared what she loves about working at WELL, her perspective on what the recruiting process is like now, what companies are looking for in candidates, and what WELL is doing to maintain collaboration among teams. She shared some incredible knowledge for job seekers, and also shared some fun things about herself and what she likes to do outside of the office. If you don’t already feel like you’re friends with Izzy after reading this, I’m sure you will after the Panel in a couple weeks!

***Izzy Bacon, Recruiter at WELL Health***

Q: What do you love about WELL?

A: I can sum up what I love most about WELL with three Ps: The people, the product, and the possibilities.

I have been at WELL for a little over a year now, and I consistently look forward to going to work everyday. The people here play a huge part in that. As a recruiter, I am in an internally focused role in which I get the pleasure of interacting with almost everyone at WELL, regardless of their level or their department. My job is to hire talented, awesome people to WELL, and that would be difficult for me to do if I felt that the people here were not genuinely some of the best people I have ever worked with. I constantly feel supported by my peers and leaders to try new things and look for ways to make things better. The passion that the employees here have for our mission is tangible; everyone from interns to VPs are one hundred percent excited about making patient communication better. Finally, the drive that we all have to make this product the best on the market is highly motivating to me.

The product here is one that I truly believe in, and what caught my eye when I applied. Not all products are fulfilling to work for, and not all organizations have a mission that is actually solving a problem. I knew when I was looking for my next opportunity, I wanted to work for an organization with a mission that I believed in, and one where I could not find any downsides. I have found that at WELL. I love what the product is and I love talking about it because we are all patients, everyone immediately knows what it is like to communicate with their doctors’ office -- it can be a real headache. WELL streamlines and modernizes that process. Even though I do not build the product, I hire talented folks that will, and that is fulfilling to me.

The possibilities here for professional and personal development are immense. WELL champions employees’ development and is highly supportive of employees pursuing what makes them happy. In just one year’s time, I have been given opportunities to grow, to build processes, to implement new ideas, and to take ownership of projects, that I know I would not have been afforded if I joined a larger, more established organization. WELL is very much still a scrappy startup. We move fast, and that means that employees are provided with new experiences all the time. I always encourage interns and entry level candidates to consider working at a startup – the possibilities for growth in a short period of time are immeasurable.

Q: What are key things (skills, experience, interests) that you look for in potential interns or entry-level employees?

A: Alignment with our values. We have five, but these specific three come to mind when hiring interns/entry-level employees:

Growth mindset (Pursue Growth)
Strong work ethic (Work to Win)
Passion for mission (Deliver with Passion)
Previous internship experience and/or some sort of relevant coursework is required for some roles, and just a nice bonus for others

***My team's Halloween theme. (Two people have dachshunds = wiener dogs.) I am the Bacon.***

Q: How has the interview process [and/or recruiting process] changed since going remote?

More applicants
Easier to schedule, faster process (not flying people to Santa Barbara for in-person interviews)
More relaxed for candidates (interviewing from the comfort of their home, multiple breaks throughout the onsite day, not being in a traditional interviewing environment)

Q: Do you think applying for jobs these days is harder than before?

A: I think it is an overwhelming time for candidates. It is stressful for everyone right now, and it is a tough time to be looking for a job. Applying for most jobs means signing on for something long term, to be thinking ahead about your future. It is difficult to plan for some people right now. We are living in uncertain times and no one knows what the world will look like even next year. I have talked to candidates about their relocation vs. remote work concerns, and how that factors into what jobs they are applying to. This is a new part that job seekers now have to consider. Do they want to work fully remote, or would be open to relocating for a job and work in-office, whenever that may be? For some roles at WELL, we require that you work full-time out of our Santa Barbara headquarters when we return to in-office work. We do not know when that time will come, so for some candidates, it is hard to commit to something without a date.

Q: How can job seekers set themselves up for success?

Research the interviewer and the company prior. Read company blog posts, visit all social channels. Come prepared with a few specific questions tailored to each interviewer.
Share what actions you have taken to prepare for the role (research, online courses, job shadowing, informational interviews, etc.)
Practice, but do not read off of notes when interviewing. Phone interview or via Zoom, the interviewer can tell.

Q: Advice for job seekers who are discouraged by the current climate?

Keep going. Check job boards everyday. Set up job alert emails. Apply to at least one new job everyday. Create a Google Sheet of progress. Track when you applied to each job, what stages you are in at different companies, when you last communicated with the recruiter. Keep track of when you need to follow up.
Just because you were rejected from one role at a company, does not mean that you should not try again for a different role at the same company. If you love the company, keep trying for different roles.
Reply to rejection emails with interest. Stay in touch with recruiters. Ask about posted or not yet posted roles. Recruiters sometimes know what the future hiring plan looks like; ask if the role that you are interested in is coming up anytime soon. Recruiters are always looking to build a solid pipeline of candidates for future roles.

Q: How are you able to share the sense of work culture, community, and collaboration to prospective employees via remote interviews?

A: While we know that nothing compares to visiting the office and meeting the team in person, we have tried to make the virtual onsite as close as it would be to an actual in-person onsite. A big part of WELL’s company culture comes through in the office setting. Normally, a candidate would get a full office tour during their onsite. Because that is not an option anymore, we decided to share photos of the office with all candidates prior to their onsite. All department areas are shown, as well as our common spaces, like our kitchen, our rooftop terrace, and our game areas. We have gotten positive feedback from candidates that this helps them get a better sense of WELL’s fun culture. The onsite interviewing itself has not changed much. Everyone that would normally interview a candidate in-person, will now do so via Zoom with their camera on. For almost every interview, the candidate gets a demo of the product at the start of their onsite. Since going remote, this has become a critical time for the candidate to meet another person at WELL in a more relaxed setting, and to hear more about the product.

Q: How are new employees getting trained and supported in their jobs?

A: Most of our onboarding was already via our online library of training modules, so that made the transition to remote onboarding easier. To make sure that new team members feel supported by their new teammates, some teams do pair programming, and all new hires are assigned a new hire buddy, so they have a designated person to answer their questions and have a virtual lunch with their first week. Additionally, some teams here have daily optional co-working sessions, in which team members have a designated time to work through problems with teammates, or just spend some time together. To ensure that new employees have a place to provide honest feedback on how onboarding is going, we utilize TinyPulse, which sends out questions related to onboarding after their first, second, fourth, and twelfth weeks. To make the new hire feel welcome and introduce them to the whole company, all new hires introduce themselves during their first Monday during company standup. Then, on their first Friday, we play Two Truths and a Lie during our weekly afternoon company wide wrap up. The whole company enjoys getting to learn some odd facts about their new teammates!

***Company volunteer day at The Boys and Girls Club***

Q: Hobby/activity you have picked up in quarantine?

A: It is not new, but cooking and baking new recipes was huge for me early in quarantine. I would challenge myself to make at least one new recipe a week. Standouts have been NYT Cooking’s Indian Butter Tofu, Christina Tosi’s Sugar Cookie Squares, and Cookie and Kate’s Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas.

Q: What’s your go-to work snack?

A: Lentil chips in the office. Now it's jicama and hummus.

***Me with Reggie, the Dachshund, and Nala, a Goldendoodle***

Q: What was the last song you listened to?

A: I do not actually listen to music that much, but I do listen to a few podcasts. I frequently listen to WTF with Marc Maron, and Revisionist History by Malcom Gladwell.

Q: Is there anything else you’re thinking about or would like to share?

A: WELL is going through a huge period of growth right now. While I am here to focus on tech roles, please do not hesitate to visit our jobs board at workatwell.com for a comprehensive list of open roles.

Zoe Hinck

June 15, 2020

Black Lives Matter

Zoe Hinck

June 15, 2020

As an organization, Santa Barbara Women in STEM was started to give women in these fields a platform we felt was otherwise hidden to bring together voices, talents, and resources to help elevate women and girls of all ages. In light of recent and repeated injustices, we are making it our responsibility to amplify the voices of the Black Community here in Santa Barbara, but also across the globe. We encourage you to listen, learn, and educate yourselves and your peers regarding the centuries of systemic racial discrimination, the history we are seeing unfold, and how we can be better allies for our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color colleagues in our respective fields and communities. Know that we cannot truly successfully move forward individually until we can all move forward together.

To learn about the upcoming Juneteenth Celebration, Digital Diaspora, presented by Juneteenth Santa Barbara, please follow this link.

Please take advantage of the resources we have compiled ranging from local resources to educational information to national efforts to a few highlighted Black groups and individuals in STEM fields. By no means do we believe we are experts in this field, but we are committed to going through this learning process with you. We appreciate any feedback or additional resources you would like to share with our broader community. You can find these resources below.