In their article, “Meet the Women Who Inspire LA’s Tech Leaders,” tech media outlet Built In LA interviewed Convoso VP of Engineering Shiva Mirzadeh to learn who among women in tech most influenced her career.
For as long as there has been tech, there have been women in tech. Even before the computer was invented, women like Ada Lovelace laid the groundwork for the technological revolution to come. Shiva Mirzadeh, the VP of engineering at Convoso, said learning Lovelace’s story early in college played a formative role in the academic and professional careers she’s built.
Looking back on your career so far, is there a woman who has consistently inspired you?
In my first year of college, I was one of five female students in the engineering program. The professor noticed that the girls in the class sat with one another and told us the story of Ada Lovelace. I was really inspired that the first computer programmer was female and felt a sense of pride because she programmed at a time when there were not only no computers but also no women in the field. I aspired to be as brave and daring as she was. In my first year the same professor also mentioned that a majority of his students do not pass the class due. With Ada as inspiration I continued my education, passed the class and went on to obtain a PhD in engineering.
How have you incorporated the lessons and achievements from Lovelace’s life and career into your own?
In the mid-1800s women’s roles were highly restricted and often limited to performing domestic duties. Ada Lovelace proved that even in restrictive times, you don’t have to follow society’s norms or expectations. This gave me the courage to not only follow my passion for software engineering but also to specialize and pursue a bachelor’s in electronics and robotics where I was one of only two women in my whole department. Having Ada as an inspiration led me to be comfortable in this male-dominated field.
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