SHPE Boston hosts its 2nd Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration of Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, MA
CAMBRIDGE, MA – September 30, 2010 – On Thursday, September 30, 2010, the Boston Chapter for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE Boston) hosted its second annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at Microsoft New England Research and Development (NERD) Center in Cambridge, MA.
The purpose of the event was to celebrate the many contributions that the Latin community has made to the Greater Boston area, including food, music and art, as well as to share the stories of two Latinos who have pursued successful careers in engineering.
- Food was provided by Machu Picchu, a Peruvian restaurant based in Somerville (http://www.machupicchuboston.com/)
- Background music was provided by the Jose Allende Guitar Trio (http://www.joseallende.net/)
- The Art Exhibit was provided by L. Holliey White, founder of Arts Amica, from her collection that showcased the work of Contino and Maria Consuelo, as well as other masters of Cuban art. Arts Amica exhibits art from Cuba around the New England region.
- Lidiane Souza, a Brazilian Senior Group Program Manager for Microsoft Application Virtualization provided an inspiring presentation entitled “My Journey to Software Engineering” which talked about how and why she decided to pursue a career at Microsoft (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jennifer/archive/2008/04/18/featured-woman-in-technology-lidiane-souza.aspx)
- Antonio Oliart, a Mexican recording engineer at WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston talked about how he was able to combine his educational passions, i.e., a Masters Degree in Music, and a Masters Degree in Sound Recording, into his position at WGBH (http://www.wgbh.org/listen/FraserStaff.cfm?Preview=1 )
“The speakers provided excellent examples of how two Latinos, with a little bit of hard work, were able to develop their passion for engineering into successful careers at Microsoft and WGBH,” said Letizaida Rodriguez, Interim President and VP of Professional and Career Development for SHPE Boston.
“It was a great opportunity to connect with the SHPE organization, from university members to professional members. Microsoft looks forward to continuing to engage with the organization through attendance at events and participation in the group’s volunteer and community efforts,” said Tina Shah, Productivity Solution Specialist & Diversity Champion, Northeast District, Microsoft.