An inside look from a woman of color into the predominantly white-male-led technology industry

Azusa Pacific University students gathered on Thursday, Sept. 20, to listen to alumna Brooke Pearson, class of 2007, speak about her experience as a woman of color working at Facebook.

As a former Multi-Ethnic Leadership scholar, Fulbright English teaching assistant, and public diplomat, Pearson has spent a considerable amount of time working with people from various cultures. Pearson now uses her knowledge to advocate for others. She emphasizes the importance of connecting with people who support diversity in order to make a change in the workplace.

It’s no secret that tech companies struggle to recruit diverse talent, Pearson says, and Facebook is no exception. Out of Facebook’s 40,000 employees, only 3.5 percent are of African descent, with 1.3 percent of those employees occupying technical roles. Currently, Pearson is aiding Facebook in creating a more diverse workplace.

There are conferences across the U.S. intended to pave the way for African-Americans interested in tech-industry jobs, such as Afro Tech, one of Pearson’s favorites. However, many companies within the tech field are overlooking these conventions.

They [tech companies] are going primarily to HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities]… to recruit black talent to join,” Pearson said. “[This] is a great strategy, but it also leaves out the vast majority of students of color who are not at HBCUs…We need to be in those spaces where people are already at.”

Although they are “missing opportunities to employ diverse talent,” Facebook is making an effort to engage with the local community in the San Francisco East Bay Area. Participating in nearby programs in an effort to share their industry knowledge, the company is helping to prepare the future generation for careers in the tech field.

“We [Facebook] also have a community that’s in Oakland,” Pearson said. “We volunteer with STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] programs that are in Oakland high schools –– Oakland Tech is a big one.” Facebook also works with nonprofits in Oakland such as Black Girls Code, which uses workshops and after-school programs to teach coding to girls in the community. We’ve tried our best to be good members of the community and be present whenever we can.”

In addition to offering a look inside Facebook, Pearson advised APU students on how to attain careers within the industry. She highly recommends creating a LinkedIn account and filling out the experience sections. Pearson explains that students can make the most of their profiles by listing classroom skills.

“Get a professor to write an endorsement for you on LinkedIn. Write specifically about what you’re doing for your senior seminar or for your senior project. If you’ve studied abroad, put it on there… A lot of jobs in tech don’t line up exactly with majors… so my recommendation is to learn how to translate your experience into what you see in these job descriptions.”

Joshua Cantong, the Public Relations Officer for APU’s Black Student Association and current undergraduate student, expressed his gratitude for Pearson’s career advice.

“I thought this event was wonderful. Brooke Pearson brought a lot of really great experience… She talked about how… the name of your major is not as important as the experiences you have in your undergrad and postgrad [life].”

Hanae Gonzales, a psychology student in the Multi-Ethnic Leadership Scholar program, also commented on Pearson’s advice.

“I think it’s very important to hear different perspectives, especially from a woman of color. To see her [Pearson’s] success is encouraging… Having these forums is great for all individuals to come and listen because it broadens your view of the world and your view of the APU community.”