Imelda Iraeta was the recipient of a 2008 Anita Borg Systers Pass-It-On Award.
It is well-know that my country, El Salvador, suffered a civil war that altered the life, customs, economy and fears of an entire population. In those days I worked at the National University of El Salvador where I had studied Architecture. I was also the Executive Assistant for Maices, an organization that worked on the university campus and was dedicated to promoting art through various artistic expressions and cultural events.
At the same time, the University of Technology, a private university, was offering courses in Architecture. In those days of war it was difficult to be a student, professor or even work on the university campus, which was one of the government’s targets through police or military persecution. Those events forced me to leave my country and brought me to the United States, a country with a different culture and language that I did not know, in February 1990. It was as if the world I had built with so much effort had crumbled to the ground. I had left behind everything that was important to me: my family, friends and a career that had cost me so much to get. The first six months were of anguish and survival given that I did what I could but was unable to find work. Until fate intervened and I began working in housecleaning and started learning English. At that time I began visualizing what I could do improve my life since this was not what I wanted to be doing.
With time, I became valued and respected, and developed a good working relationship and friendship with my clients. That is how I began searching for computer classes, without leaving my studies in English. After a few years of looking for the best options, I learned about CAMINOS, a learning center for low-income Latina women that offers computer courses in Spanish. I began taking classes in 2001, starting from the basics. I attended class religiously every Saturday until I finished all the possible courses I could take, including Microsoft Office, PhotoShop and other design programs.
Before migrating to the United States, I had studied in El Salvador’s Technical School Carlos Alberto Imery (ETCAI) and received diplomas in Architectural Design, Painting and Drawing, Color Theory, Typography, among others. At this school, I also taught Drawing and Architectural Design to construction workers and others involved in construction. My studies in that field, and my natural ability for design, drove me to take the decision to give myself a new challenge and study Graphic Design in San Francisco’s City College. I have already taken some courses with some difficulty because I do not have my own computer which would allow me to study more easily given my work schedule since I continue to work in housecleaning. Not having a computer also stunted my learning development a bit, but despite that challenge I’ve forged ahead and fulfilled all the requirements.
In Novemeber 2008 I was given the opportunity to apply for an Anita Borg Systers Pass-It-On award through Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and had the good fortune of winning. Thanks to that award, I was given the help I needed to finance the cost of a Mac 24-inch Widescreen computer, 2.8 GHz, which will change my life. In addition to being able to work at my convenience, I’ll have the opportunity to keep developing my abilities and knowledge, and continue evolving in the field of technology in order to achieve my goals. To continue with my studies, I plan to take courses in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat and Dreamweaver, among others. This computer will allow me to strengthen the knowledge I’ve attained in order to apply them in different ways, such as: share my knowledge with other women who have the ability and desire to learn, which I have already started to do at CAMINOS. I’m also interested in applying my knowledge in different design projects, and in the future be able to work in this field.
I want to say to all the women who have an important goal ahead of them: Do not give up and fight to make your dreams a reality. With effort and tenacity, everything is possible.
Imelda Iraeta