Ada Lovelace Day: 8 inspiring stories about women in STEM

Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated every October 10th to honor the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It serves as a reminder of the importance of gender equality and inclusivity in STEM and provides a platform to celebrate women's contributions to science and technology. To acknowledge and celebrate Ada Lovelace Day, we asked Red Hatters to share about a woman in STEM who had most inspired their life or career.

Family members

“There were so many women in STEM that had an impact on my life, but the ones that stick out to me are my mom, Debbie N., Fran B., and Valerie, Sasha, Ronise, Crys, and Janice. I started to "work" in technology when my mother started to work at University of Oregon teaching intro to Macintosh and Desktop publishing in the early 90s. Debbie was her class engineer and was the first woman in tech I ran into. Loved how smart and funny she was. Due to her influence, when I was in university, I applied to work at UC San Diego's Network Operations. Fran trusted me enough to hire me, but it was Valerie, Sasha, Janice, Crys, and Ronise as the women who shaped my career. They taught me so much about the tech, but also about problem-solving, communicating with customers, and just being a good human. I wouldn't have been where I am without a lot of amazing women!” —Collin Webster, Business Value Director

Colleagues

“Angela Andrews inspires me to show up to work every day with a positive attitude, an eagerness to learn, and a desire to make a difference. She makes time to help others learn and grow in their careers while being involved in various groups and projects at Red Hat. Angela does it all: she creates learning events and communities, hosts the Compiler podcast, promotes Red Hat on LinkedIn, leads workgroup sessions, and more. She works hard and makes work fun for everyone around her. Angela is an absolute gem who inspires my career and life in general!” —Skye Larson, Associate Consultant

“Holly Cummins. The very first time I had the pleasure of meeting Holly was in 2010 at a Paris JUG (Java user group) talk, an event she absolutely rocked. At that time, I had already spent five years in the tech industry. Holly, on the other hand, was already a prominent figure in the Java ecosystem. She possessed an impressive knowledge of performance, had earned recognition as an open source contributor, and was an exceptional public speaker.

Several years later, while working at Red Hat, fate brought us together once again in Milan in 2019, where Holly was delivering a keynote at the Voxxed Day's Milan conference. Beyond her remarkable professional achievements, I discovered that Holly is approachable, kind, and incredibly humble. Her influence played a significant role in shaping the career path I aspired to pursue since 2010, and she continues to inspire me both professionally and personally every year.

Today, as a colleague within the same company, I consider it a great honor to work alongside someone of Holly's caliber.” —Katia Aresti, Principal Software Engineer

Educators

“Debora Weber-Wulff was my professor when I was studying Informatik in Berlin. And my first class with her was in the Ada programming language! She thoroughly explained to the class who Ada Lovelace was and why the language was named after her. Debora's specialty was compilers, and she was very good at explaining the underlying systems for some seemingly ad hoc design decisions in software. She later became my thesis advisor, and I always knew she had my back in that extremely male-dominated setting. She even stepped in on a case of bullying; I don't bully easily, so you can imagine the steel she had. Thank goodness for such an outstanding mentor.” —Summer Long, Senior Security Program Manager - Technical

Pioneers

“Emmy Noether was a German mathematician who lived from 1882 to 1935. I first learned about her during my university studies of physics, and her dedication and perseverance inspire me to this day. She pioneered the mathematics that underpins modern physics, despite being obstructed from studying and teaching for being a woman and being expelled from Germany for being Jewish. Her colleague Hermann Weyl said, "Her courage, her frankness, her unconcern about her own fate, her conciliatory spirit—was in the midst of all the hatred and meanness, despair and sorrow surrounding us, a moral solace." Her incredible work in the face of so much adversity inspires me to be passionate about STEM, and be grateful for all the opportunities I have.” —Apollo Bradshaw, Consultant

“A true role model with her social and personal life and an embodiment of simple living and high thinking, Sudha Murthy is not only an inspiration to me but to every woman who looks forward to a career in STEM. Coming from a humble middle-class Indian family, this diligent bright lady paved her way by acquiring a master's degree in the then male-dominant field of Engineering in the 70s.

One particular incident of hers that influenced me was when she wrote a postcard to the then Chairman of TELCO company (aka Tata Motors), telling about the gender bias in their recruitment process. Due to her blunt note, she was called to a special interview and immediately employed as their first female engineer in India.

As an immense promoter of STEM education, an active social worker, a loving mother, and a renowned author, she has received numerous accolades. I always see a Sudha in every little girl who wishes to pursue STEM!” —Prachi Sawant, Senior Business Systems Analyst

“My first experience in engineering, outside the classroom, was in an airplane hangar in Langley, Virginia as a NASA college intern. It was one of the most exciting, inspiring, and daunting experiences of my life. As one of very few women in that airplane hangar, the strength and impact of Katherine Johnson as a pivotal NASA mathematician was a story I held close to. She changed not only the world but NASA's ability to go beyond it and to inspire a nation. I cannot imagine how difficult it was, but that internship was my first step in my career as an engineer, and her strength gave me courage.” —Stefanie Chiras, Senior Vice President, Partner Ecosystem Success

Future women in STEM

“My pursuits in STEM were not really inspired by someone in my past. Rather, my inspiration, motivation, and passion comes from the women around me today. Those who take the time to share an encouraging word, to lead with their most vulnerable and true authentic selves, and lift each other up rather than climb over another queen just to make her own crown sparkle more. I pursue STEM to show my daughters that  grit and hard work should never be something you run away from - but rather embrace and steer towards.“ —Sarah Reed, Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure