Rachel Hill and her ITWomen mentor Margaret Brisbane celebrate Rachel’s 2017 graduation from FIU’s School of Computing and Information Sciences

Mentee, Mentor Relationships for Girls in Tech Shine at College Graduation

Congrats, Rachel!

It was a grand celebration for both mentee and mentor when Rachel Hill, one of  our eight ITWomen scholarship recipients of 2013, graduated from FIU’s School of Computing and Information Sciences  in the College of Engineering and Computing on May 1. Her proud mentor Margaret Brisbane was there to share in Rachel’s joy and their extraordinary journey. 

Rachel earned a B.S. in Computer Science, focusing on the Software Design and Development track and a minor in Mathematical Sciences. She will start work in June at Lockheed Martin with the Rotary and Mission Systems business sector. Margaret heads ITWomen’s Virtual Mentor program and is Assistant Director at Miami-Dade’s Information Technology Department (ITD). 

Mentee-Mentor Journey 

When Rachel lost her mom at the age of 12, she could not have foreseen the turn her life would take with Margaret’s mentorship, ITWomen, and the family of  supporters at ITD, where Rachel’s mom used to work. 

When it came time to leave for college with an ITWomen scholarship, Margaret organized a surprise send-off with donations and a bin of “Dorm Essentials” from the ITD family. Rachel wrote a moving letter thanking everyone at the time for helping her learn more about her mother and her work. 

Rachel hopes to enroll in Lockheed’s  leadership program for new grads in June and pursue a master’s degree in the future. She is looking forward to giving back as an ITWomen Role Model Speaker for young girls aspiring to tech careers.

“It’s been an honor to be a Mentor to Rachel,” said Margaret, “and I am so extremely proud of her accomplishments. She is driven and ambitious and I look forward to a continued relationship, to see her grow and prosper in her professional career. During the past four years Rachel has not only been a Mentee, she has become a part of my family and been embraced by the County family. We are all very proud of her and will continue to support her.”