Viviana Ayala

Her Journey

Originally from Mission, Texas Ayala is now a junior studying Computer Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. After graduation, she plans to begin her career as a software engineer.

"Ever since I learned that black and latinx women make up 4% of the tech industry"(Colorstack). "I knew I wanted to take part in increasing that number. I want to empower the minority population in my institution with the workforce development resources I've accrued from my time as a member of Colorstack" says Ayala.

As a previous writing tutor for the University's writing center, Viviana enjoys helping others find scholarships, understand the application process and assist as needed, to fund career enhancing opportunities. She recently got back from San Francisco where she attended ColorStack's Stacked Up Summit - one of the trip's she's gotten full funding for. There, she got to make meaningful connections with like-minded students in the tech field as well as recruiters from companies like Netflix, Duolingo, and Meta.

Growing up in a single income household she chose to stay local because of financial restraints. UTRGV has a solid engineering program with a well-developed computer science department.

"She will soon be attending the 2025 CMD-IT/ACM Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, fully funded through their Tapia Conference Travel Scholarship."

Lacking experience in the internship game in Fall of 2024, Ayala was introduced to ColorStack in November of that year. Since then, she has uncovered a world of resources and community. She has been able to take all-expense-paid trips to experiences that would have never happened if it weren't for ColorStack. She secured her first internship in Computer Science the following semester in Spring of 2025.

"The Rio Grande Valley is unique in that it is almost untouched by the world of big tech."

"I want to create a space where everyone feels welcome to ask questions, clarify their doubts, and find someone who has been through that experience to lend a helping hand or share some words of wisdom."

Finally, Ayala encourages others to get involved with ColorStack at UTRGV.

"We want to provide a welcoming community for all.