Name: Kelby Mahoney
Year: Sophomore
Major: Information Communication Technology
Hometown: Sebring, FL
Courtesy: Kelby Mahoney
Her Campus (HC): Can you tell us about your position within WISE and how long you have been involved and about the organization itself?
Kelby Mahoney (KB): I am the current President of WISE. I have been involved within the organization since the fall of 2014. I became President the spring of 2015. WISE is a mentorship and leadership organization that focuses on connecting collegiate women with women in their field. While we do cater to a more STEM oriented student, we are open to all majors. We host a WISE Breakfast, the Women in Leadership Conference and frequent Think Tanks. The Breakfast is intended to connect collegiate women with 20 business leaders through the span of a breakfast. The Women in Leadership Conference begins with a 5 women panel and then breaks out to approximately 40 business leaders that students are able to meet-and-greet. Finally, our Think Tanks are when we host a speaker from the Tallahassee community and have a question and answer like meeting with all of the members of WISE.
HC: How did you first become introduced and interested in the IT field?
KB: I was in the International Baccalaureate Programme in my high school. I took a class called Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) to avoid taking a Biology class. My teacher (also a Florida State Alum) connected with Ebe Randeree and the STARS group on campus. Ebe is the Associate Dean of the College of Communication and Information and is the Advisor for STARS (Students in Technology, Academia, Research, and Service). I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with these students but still was not confident in my IT abilities. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. A mentor of mine (and History teacher) suggested I major in IT that way I could have a concentration secured for law school. I connected with Ebe who invited me to be a part of STARS and the rest is kind of history. I attribute a lot of my success in the IT field to Ebe; he is incredibly passionate about students and their successes, especially in STEM.
HC: So of course the quintessential question, do know your plans after graduation?
KB: This is a question I am frequently asked, so you would think that I have the answer by now. I honestly do not have many plans. I define success by personal happiness. I want to be able to wake up every morning and be excited for work. Most likely I will start at software development and continue with that for a few years and then either rise through a company or even begin my own start-up. It all is a matter of where I plant my feet.
HC: What have been some of your most memorable experiences as the President of WISE?
KB: Does every moment count? I think one of the most rewarding aspects of WISE is seeing the business leaders so entranced by our students. For example, I had the opportunity to walk through groups of leaders and students at the WISE Breakfast and they were so clearly helping each other to solve problems and create connections and obtaining internships; seeing that comradery and support is rewarding as a President because I feel as though I have done my job right. I have helped connect two separate groups of women that are all like-minded and all want to change the world.
HC: What do you think are some of the biggest obstacles women in IT face? Do you plan on making any changes?
KB: I think that women often have their creativity stifled. It is not necessarily intentional but men almost baby women in the IT field. I have heard of instances that women no longer speak up at meetings because a man will say what they said but louder. I have had people talk down to me before simply because I did not understand a single concept in an IT class, the reality is there are a lot of concepts I don’t understand in a variety of fields and that’s why I am asking the question. I do consider myself to have an assertive and ambitious spirit, so to help fix this problem; all I can think to do is lead by example. By stepping up to the plate and creating space for women in IT and mentoring women my age and younger to do the same, we can really take STEM fields by full force.
HC: Any advice for a young women with any interest in the IT field, how to get started?
KB: Just try! I’m not sure exactly when my ideas towards IT were stifled but I really wish I would have begun practicing early on. There are so many resources out there for beginning coders and the world is truly your oyster. It is the equivalent to learning a new concept in class or learning a new sport skill. Practice of course makes perfect but the earlier you get involved the better; you might even uncover an unknown passion.
HC: Apart from WISE are you involved in any other campus organizations?
KB: I am! I juggle many hats. I work two part-time jobs and go to school full-time but still manage to be somewhat involved with many organizations at Florida State. I am in STARS (Students in Technology Academia Research and Service) which is a nationally recognized group that travels the state of Florida promoting STEM to women and minorities. Similarly I am a part of FITC (Florida IT Career Alliance) that has the same mission but with a focus on the panhandle of Florida. I also participate in outreach and service events with COG, THT and AITP.
HC: You definitely have a lot on your plate! When and if you have spare time, what do you like to do?
KB: What is this “spare time” you speak of? I am either watching Netflix or travelling. I love to travel. I recently got a scratch-off map and I have been trying to travel to anywhere I can drive. One of the items on my bucket list is to eat something special to each of the 50 states (ex. a lobster from Maine, Key Lime Pie from the Keys of Florida). So as long as I am travelling and eating, I am happy. I also like to work out and attend a Crossfit gym in town.
HC: Lastly, do you have any female role models, women that you admire?
KB: I went to a Google Techmakers Conference and met a girl by the name of Maria Holloweck. I was terribly lost on the Subway system so she helped me arrive at my destination. Maria is a foreign exchange student studying at Columbia University and is from Germany. She taught herself how to code at the age of 13 from a book she had shipped to a library in her village. She also is the Founder and CEO of her own company “Girls Can Do It”. She’s only in her early twenties. I’d like to be like Maria one day.