By: Shelby Hobbs
Thursday, October 29, 2015

Victoria Guevara is a great example of a student taking advantages of the opportunities available through studying a STEM major. Victoria is a senior majoring in Information Technology at Florida State University with a minor in Business. She is involved on campus as the Vice President of Community Outreach Group. The purpose of COG is to match students with outreach opportunities based on their skills and interests. During her time at FSU, Victoria has gained invaluable skills while interning with a number of local IT related companies. In the summer of 2015, she decided to become a Florida IT Career Alliance Student Ambassador. Victoria described how she did not know about the amazing opportunities available to technology students while she was in grade school. “I want to inform younger students of the opportunities available in STEM majors so they know they have different options than the usual majors,” she explained. With a wide array of interests and talents, soon-to-be graduate of Florida State University.

With FITC, Victoria has been able to teach students about these opportunities. She has been able to help teach students about game design, coding, hardware, and other technology related topics. Her favorite experience was leading a campus tour of FSU for middle school students. She loved answering students’ questions about why she chose to study IT and how they can become involved in studying technology. “I was happy to give them my perspective on the program,” she stated. Another one of her favorite events was teaching Girl Scouts Game Design at FSU. The Girl Scouts attended multiple sessions with FITC Student Ambassadors to learn game design and basic coding. When asked about the event, Victoria described how she was impressed by their ideas and designs. She explained how the girls taught her something new, stating how “it was amazing being exposed to their thought process at that age.” Victoria believes technology education is imperative in classrooms today because it is how the world is moving forward. “The demand for IT jobs is increasing,” she explained, “it will be the best career choice in the long run.”

This December 2015, Victoria will receive her diploma from FSU. After receiving her degree, she plans to get a job in IT consulting. After she joins the workforce, she hopes to get her masters in IT. Eventually Victoria would like to open her own IT consulting business. To learn more about Victoria, connect with her on LinkedIn.

FITC Student Ambassadors make up a team of dedicated and knowledgeable students both at FSU and FAMU. These students travel across the Florida Panhandle to promote information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to high schools. Ambassadors are responsible for activities such as running coding camps, assisting in technology clubs, or hosting college tours. For more information on FITC Ambassadors, visit the Ambassador page.

The Florida IT Career Alliance is an initiative funded by the Florida Board of Governors which aims to recruit, retain, and employ Florida's next generation technology workforce. FITC promotes information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to local high schools and college students across Florida. Connect with FITC on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.