AUSTIN, Texas — Jasmine Vallejo grew up in San Antonio. Now she lives in Austin and works in the tech industry.

She received her first laptop at 9 years old, but without Wi-Fi, she spent most of her time learning to code at the local YMCA.

Now she works in community engagement at Meta and serves on the board for Latinas in Tech where she says there’s a lack of representation of Latina women in the industry.

“Historically, because of the background of Latinx families, Latinos have pursued backgrounds or careers in a field that provided stability. And while Latinos were users of technology, we weren’t the creators of them,” said Vallejo.

“Right now Hispanics account for 16% of the tech ecosystem in Texas,” said CEO of Austin Urban Technology Movement Michael Ward Jr.

He says while Hispanics make up for around 16% of the tech industry in Texas, only 2% are women.

“They’re not having those internal conversations in their households, or in their school setting. But then once we get past exposure, and then they have the skills, they have the experience. Well, the recruiting practices don’t support those communities, right? The recruiting practices are predominantly for traditional pathways,” said Ward.

Organizations like Austin Urban Technology Movement and Latinas in Tech are trying to change that through women like Vallejo.

“If they're translations that kind of meet the Hispanic-speaking community, I’m there to kind of navigate that,” said Vallejo.

She’s seeing her life come full circle and says it’s her responsibility to represent her community. Vallejo is also encouraging other Latinas to go after the jobs they want. So, like her, they can help the next generation.

“Historically, our communities are always lending out a hand. And that doesn’t change if we are a Latina in the tech industry,” said Vallejo. “So ask somebody that’s in the industry for 15 minutes of their time to see how your background might fit in with what they’re currently doing.”