Meet the Speaker — Sara Radkiewicz
Why is speaking at WITS important to you?
I am passionate about ensuring that women join in, stay in, and succeed in the technology sector. Women continue to be underrepresented in technology, especially at higher levels, so it’s important to support women entering and in the midst of this industry so we can remove barriers and set women up to succeed.
What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by things that change the game and mix things up. The word disrupter is passé — but if there is a chance to change an industry or to improve people’s lives, I’m all in. It’s what keeps me motivated and inspired at CarePort.
Most useful article you’ve read / video you have watched in the last month?
I studied psychology as an undergraduate student — and the field still fascinates me — so I never miss an episode of the podcast “Hidden Brain.” I love the insights into our psyches and how to use this information to become better versions of ourselves.
Favorite thing you have learned or did during quarantine?
No question — fostering dogs. I’m not home enough and travel too much when not in quarantine to bring in additional dogs, not only because I already have a dog of my own but also because so many fosters need some extra love and attention. It’s been tough, but super rewarding.
When you were a kid what was your dream job?
When I was a kid, I had no doubt that I would be a child’s rights lawyer or child psychologist. At the time, the study of happiness didn’t exist, but I essentially wanted to study children who overcome adversity to learn how help those that suffered at a young age. I took “time off” after college before applying to graduate programs and discovered a love for technology, which has kept me occupied ever since. My mom was computer programmer, and I never thought I would do that, but it’s what started down this path.
Tell us something about your session:
I’ll discuss adjusting in the face of changing environments. In order to make a difference for our customers during the pandemic, we had to move quickly and with limited feedback from customers. This changed our typical cycles of how we create product, but allowed us to have real impact early on for our struggling customers on the front lines.
What other sessions or speakers are you most excited to see?
I’m always looking to improve myself, so I’m going to tune into “Using Your Uniqueness to Lead”, the Fireside Chat — “My Responsibility to the Next Generation of Women in Tech and Life”, and “L.E.A.D Approach to Tech Success”.
