Michelle Glauser is a software engineer and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. Growing up in a large Mormon family in Salt Lake City, she nurtured her early interest in computers through school clubs and experimenting with Visual Basic and HTML. Despite her aptitude, a career in tech didn’t initially seem attainable.
After struggling in San Francisco, Michelle discovered her passion for software engineering through an intensive training program, a move that dramatically improved her career prospects and income. This experience opened her eyes to the significant lack of diversity in the tech world, particularly the underrepresentation of women, Latinos, and Black individuals.
Driven to address this imbalance, Michelle began organizing meetups and compiling open-source learning resources for aspiring coders. In 2015, she co-created the viral hashtag campaign, #ILookLikeAnEngineer, in response to stereotypes faced by women in tech. The campaign sparked a global conversation about representation and challenged narrow perceptions of what an engineer should be.
Michelle is also concerned about the socio-economic disparities in the Bay Area, particularly the displacement of vulnerable populations amidst the tech boom. Her work highlights the potential of technology to empower marginalized groups and promote a more equitable future, aligning with transhumanist ideals of using technology to improve the human condition. Her journey from a Mormon upbringing to tech advocate illustrates a unique perspective on the intersection of faith, technology, and social justice.
