This March, Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions of women in our society, which are often overlooked. This year we commemorate women’s experiences with a series on Women in Technology at Illinois State! This week’s Women in Tech is Suni Brown.
What’s your current position?
I am manager of the Help Desk team and Endpoint Support team for Student Affairs IT (SAIT).
Why did you decide on technology as a profession at Illinois State University?
It’s funny, because I actually didn’t! I started with SAIT 13 years ago as a customer relationship specialist with very little true tech experience. I was the “non-tech” person who was responsible for “translating” tech speak to our customers and making sure they knew what we were doing and why. I also worked with the Help Desk students on training and development. I came to Illinois State with a background in training/quality assurance and brought a ton of customer service experience with me. Throughout the years, as I learned more about technology from my incredibly smart coworkers, opportunities presented themselves to me, and I went for them.
What is the best part of your job? What impact do you see yourself making as a woman in tech?
The absolute best part of my job is watching my students learn and grow. My goal for every single one of them is to gain as much experience as possible and leave after graduation with an amazing job lined up. It’s so fulfilling watching Help Desk and Endpoint students learn how to image a machine or troubleshoot and fix a problem they’ve never seen before. Each lightbulb moment for them is a win for me. I do not solely focus on tech skills, though. The biggest impact from me, that I hope my staff and students carry with them, is the care, empathy, and customer service skills I instill in them.
What barriers do you see for women entering the technology workforce?
Answering this is difficult, because even though my male coworkers are all amazing, the first thing I thought was, ‘How do I answer this without offending anyone?’ I think that is something we as women do very often. We think of how our actions will affect everyone around us, and less about how our actions will impact just us. Regardless of how inclusive an IT work environment is, being surrounded by all males can be overwhelming and intimidating. The sense of belonging for women is still not prevalent and is often drowned out by the “boys’ club” vibes. For young women thinking about entering an IT field, not having someone who looks like them can deter them from choosing technology.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self or other women that are entering the tech workforce?
You belong here! Speak up, share your ideas, don’t back down. Your identity as a woman does not make you less than. Be bold in pursuing your goals, and—given the opportunity—elevate other women in IT.
