Trina Villanueva
Community Outreach and Foundation Officer, MUFG Union Bank
Oakland, California, USA
If there is one professional accomplishment and/or influential action that makes you very proud from your body of work, what would that be? As a board member of Filipino Advocates for Justice, I'm proud that I have helped the organization grow and helped them accomplish their mission of serving the Filipino community specifically, our youth, recent immigrants and low-wage workers for the past 12 years.
Workplace challenge as a Filipina woman and why: I always get mistaken for being a lot younger than I really am. So many times I feel I have to prove myself to my colleagues because they don't realize how long I have been doing this work and the different experiences I have had in my career.
What do you think is the biggest challenge that faces the next generation of Filipina women? I think as with other generations, the next generation of Filipina women will take care of a lot of people including their parents, partners and children while juggling their own personal goals and aspirations. They need to have a solid group of friends, mentors and colleagues to support them and help them pursue their dreams.
Elizabeth J. Bautista
Operations Technology Group Leader, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Daly City, California, USA
If there is one professional accomplishment and/or influential action that makes you very proud from your body of work, what would that be? I continue to create opportunities for women to consider a career in the Computing Sciences area.
What is the global impact of your work? By creating opportunities for women in Computing Sciences, I give them a tangible inroad into this area. They can experience the work they can potentially take part in and demonstrate the impact of what they do to further scientific research.
What's the best part of being a Filipina woman leader? I'd like to provide insight and opportunities to young women.
Workplace challenge as a Filipina woman and why: My industry is still very male-oriented and as a woman in a technical area, my co-workers and even management team, assume that I do not understand the technical aspects of our work. I am more known for my soft skills and not my technical skills. The challenge for me is to continue reminding management, that I cannot do my job well if I did NOT have a technical understanding.