Adamaka Ajaelo explains how cybersecurity can make space for BIPOC women

Self-eSTEM, a non-profit that supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) women and girls learning and working in STEM fields is helping to diversify the talent pool. But, as Sara Teare, one of 1Password’s founders discussed with Adamaka Ajaelo, founder and executive director of Self-eSTEM on the Random but Memorable podcast, they can’t do it alone. Tech companies need to become intentional about recruiting and developing BIPOC talent.

Read the interview highlights below or listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about Self-eSTEM and strategies for BIPOC women and girls interested in cybersecurity and tech careers.

It was such an interesting conversation we actually created a complete bonus episode with Adamaka Ajaelo to keep the conversation going! And Self-eSTEM is hosting their 10th annual fundraiser if you want to find out how you can get more involved with their efforts to make space in tech for BIPOC women.

Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. The views and opinions expressed by the interviewee don’t represent the opinions of 1Password.

Sara Teare: What’s the mission of Self-eSTEM and how is it supporting women in BIPOC communities and STEM?

Adamaka Ajaelo: Our mission is pretty simple. It’s really just to ignite pride, purpose, and possibility among BIPOC girls and women through STEM. We do this by providing culturally relevant education, education that aligns to their interests, training, mentorship, and access to a supporting network to fuel their personal and professional development.

Specifically in cybersecurity and technology, we have a series called Digital and Generative AI Bootcamp, which introduces our innovators – the participants in our program – to online safely through entrepreneurship and project-based training. So that’s some of the ways we’re getting girls into cybersecurity and into the technology field.

ST: I love “pride, purpose, and possibility” as an overarching mission statement because it’s about enjoying what you do and giving the people that have been successful an opportunity to show off and be proud of what they’re accomplishing.

I think that’s a really great opportunity for everyone to be able to celebrate bringing awesome into their field and giving other people that opportunity to learn from them.

AA: Thank you. You’re spot on. That’s really the essence of our mission.

ST: What are some of the unique challenges for women and girls of color when they’re trying to enter into the cybersecurity and technology centers?

AA: There are several unique challenges that BIPOC women and girls face, including limited access to resources, lack of mentorship, and some systemic biases that hinder their entry and advancement in cybersecurity and technology sectors.

At Self-eSTEM, we’re addressing these challenges by offering comprehensive programs that include technical training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Our Early STEM Immersion Program, which provides hands-on experience for young people aged 7 to 17, connects our participants with industry professionals who can guide them through their journey. This is designed to address what we call some of the systemic root cause issues that keep them out and push them out of the talent pipeline.

By doing this, we’re really focusing on building their STEM career identities, building their confidence, and fostering educational readiness so that they can have thriving careers.

ST: It’s a challenge for kids to figure out how they can take the knowledge they have and apply it in a business sense. Then they can put it on their resume and get a foot in the door at a technology firm. They just need the mentorship to be able to put those pieces together.

AA: Exactly. That really gets to the heart of it. It’s a route. We need to open up their world to new possibility, believing in their gifts and abilities. It’s really just guiding them and encouraging them on their journey.

ST: From your perspective, what are some of the key areas where the current cybersecurity industry is lacking diversity? Where do you think we can be taking steps to address those gaps?

AA: I would say that the cybersecurity industry has opportunity for diversity at all levels, particularly in leadership. To address these gaps, it’s really important for organizations to make commitments to being intentional about recruiting, retention and development, as well as promotional strategies that really prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Some of the things that companies can do include creating what I call supportive environments: creating a safe space for people to speak up and share their ideas. Offering professional development opportunities is always a bonus. Another key thing is to actively work to remove biases in some of your critical touch points and systems, primarily around hiring, as well as with promotion and investment processes that are internal to the company.

“Make commitments to being intentional about recruiting, retention and development."

When organizations take a step back and absorb their ecosystem and listen to employees, that’s really the foundational step for them to start addressing some of the diversity challenges at all levels.

ST: Let’s talk about the importance of feedback. For example, as an employer, being able to ask your employees: “What could we be doing to support you as a professional? How do we make sure our interview processes are fair, and how do we look at our talent pipelines to make sure we’re being inclusive?”

For example, at a company like 1Password, the diversity of our employees should be reflective of who uses our product – which is everyone.

AA: That’s where innovation can take flight. When you’re saying you have a product in which you have diversity in the users, and if you’re thinking about those groups as being key personas or your target market, and you’re looking to innovate for them, it’s always great to have people who have that same frame of reference and can really empathize with the needs of your customers.

ST: What could we do better as an industry to make sure we’re supporting diverse talent pipelines? Is there a particular area that would have a big impact?

AA: I’ve often heard from companies that: “Hey, we don’t know where the talent exists.” I would say one of the things that can make a big impact, thinking about it from an organizational level, is to go out into the community and do sort of an environmental scan of what’s happening. What are some of the emerging trends from a talent perspective?

For an organization to drive this change, it starts with doing research. Where are the areas I’m looking to increase diversity in my organization – is it gender representation, ethnicity, disabilities, other different categories and touch points?

“Go out into the community and do an environmental scan of what’s happening."

Diversity does exist in the market – these diverse talent pools do in fact exist. Once you do the research and identify those talent pools, then start to build those pipelines and build those connectors with those targeted populations or institutions that have that diverse talent. I think that that will be really, really critical.

ST: It’s important for youth to learn how to network. But it’s not just the youth that have work to do, it’s the companies as well. Get out there, network, figure out where the world is. It’s not just a one-stop-shop, internet world of resumes. There’s a whole world of talent out there.

AA: Yes, I love the way you summarized that and re-framed it. That is perfectly spot on.

ST: What advice would you give to women, especially those folks in our BIPOC communities who are interested in entering into cybersecurity and technology?

AA: My number one piece of advice is “find your tribe”. By that I mean finding supportive networks and mentorship opportunities that fit you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that in your tribe everyone will look exactly like you. It’s more about finding people who are there to support you no matter what they look like, no matter what their background is.

Second, leveraging resources. We are in this big information age and there’s so many online courses and community programs. But you can start by going on the internet and doing some research about things that you can self-teach – I like to say it’s about generating “self-believe”. I think it’s really important for you to believe in your potential and to continuously advocate for yourself and others.

So, stay connected and look for programs like ours and also look for resources online. I always like to look for free tools. Tools can be in the form of online training. Tools can be in the form of digital community groups. I know that LinkedIn has different groups and associations that you can join for free, as well as social media platforms like Facebook. I think that those are the things that will really help those who are interested in entering the cybersecurity field and may face some of the systemic barriers.

“Find your tribe."

But finding your tribe is really the key thing that I like to tell a lot of my young mentees or just anybody within my peer group. I just want to remind everyone to be resilient and to continue to push forward. It does yield positive results.

ST: Do you find impostor syndrome to be common for women in STEM careers and do you have any advice for trying to overcome that?

AA: Yes, I do find this to be common for women in the STEM fields and also for women in the business or corporate world, especially if they’re in leadership.

One of the things I like to tell people within my peer group – I also mentor young professionals – is to remind yourself that you are there because you belong there. You’re not there to say: “Oh, I’m just a diversity hire.” It’s okay for you to take up space. I also tell them to give themselves grace. There’s no one in the company that knows everything. Many people have had help.

I keep that in the back of my mind and share it because it’s okay to acknowledge that you have those feelings. But what I encourage people to do is think: “I have this imposter syndrome feeling but what am I going to do about it?”

You’ll find out that other people whom you think have it all together actually don’t have it all together. Even the CEO has had to learn and depend on other people to provide them information or to help them with decision-making. That really helps me along my journey to humanize that experience.

ST: Could you share some success stories of BIPOC women who have been supported by Self-eSTEM and gone on to pursue successful careers in technology?

AA: I’d love to tell you one of our amazing stories. Ten years ago, we had an innovator participate in our Early STEM Immersion Program. She was interested in the STEM fields but lacked what we call the 21st century skills of collaboration and some of the social skills.

With our organization and mentorship, she was able to build her collaboration skills and confidence to communicate effectively. We did this through putting her in project-based activities and team environments.

Today she’s a sophomore at UC Davis with a full scholarship, and she’s double majoring in computer science and neuroscience. She’s now an advocate for diversity in tech and has been inspiring other BIPOC girls to pursue careers in the STEM fields. It’s amazing to have that full circle moment – to see someone’s growth and development and then see them come back to become an advocate. To reach back and lift as she climbs. That’s very, very important within our organization.

ST: Where could folks go to learn more about you, Self-eSTEM, and the incredible work that you’re doing?

AA: To learn more about Self-eSTEM and our program, go to our website at selfestem.org. You also can follow us on our social media platforms for updates and upcoming events, including our 10th annual fundraiser. We’re encouraging everyone to support our mission by donating, volunteering, or simply spreading the word about our organization.

I really do believe in the collective and the community and believe that together we can drive meaningful change. I really empower girls and women to become leaders, not just for today, but also for tomorrow.

Jenn Marshall

Contributing Writer