Our Origin Story
It all started with a simple question: Where were the women? When Jana Marlé-Zizková and Pavel Bulowski went to work meetings or events in the tech industry, the other attendees were often men. They discovered that many women had a lot of enthusiasm and interest in data analytics and related areas. Yet, not everyone knew how to get started or access community support. This inspired the first workshop on data analytics for women in 2016. In the face of the overwhelming response, one workshop led to another, and then to many more. She Loves Data was born.
As a community, we commit to the belief that women have many talents, virtues, and values to bring to the table. This bears out in our very own logo, which is based on the Coxcomb chart. Florence Nightingale famously used the chart to explain the preventable deaths of soldiers during the Crimean war. She later led the sanitation reform of British hospitals. Just as Nightingale used data to create change, so too can more women become active contributors to a data-driven world. Pam Ooms, our volunteer who designed the logo, felt that Nightingale’s story fitted very well with She Loves Data’s purpose and wanted to borrow design elements from the Coxcomb chart.
What’s Next
Today, 200 years from Florence Nightingale’s time, she continues to inspire as a role model. We also find ourselves in the midst of a crisis, where the need for data literacy and digital skills is more urgent. We are forced to adapt to disruptive changes and in many instances, shift from the physical to the virtual. One silver lining is that the transition has led She Loves Data to create our first webinars, and we’re able to reach more people. At the same time, our community focus remains core.
It’s important that women building skills in tech don’t feel like they are on this journey alone. We understand that it can be tricky to build this feeling of community and sense of belonging online. There is no easy solution, but we can continue to support each other with friendly exchanges in our Facebook and LinkedIn groups. She Loves Data also continues to expand. We’re building local tribes and partnerships in places from Armenia to Vietnam so that more women can benefit from our work. We hope you keep safe and stay strong.
