Lauren Dillard

Tell us your story.

I first got involved in the digital space when I scored an internship with Hewlett-Packard. At the time, I was the editor of my college newspaper and I was connected closely with the student media advisor. Eventually, this internship let to a contract job with HP. I worked there for nearly five years.

Working for a big corporation took a bit of adjustment, but I fell in love with building new products and understanding the massive global structures that drive tech.

What do you most want other women and young girls to know about being a woman in our digital culture?

Women often end up in "reproductive" roles, or roles that require repetition of the same process over and over again, while men are encouraged to innovate. It turns out that there are always ways to improve the way we do things — from sweeping floors to painting. Don't be afraid to work smarter (not harder), ask for tools and innovate your own solutions no matter the task at hand.

The Women in Tech campaign exists to help redefine what women in technology means in the 21st century. Started independently by a group of professional women who, after many impassioned discussions about women in tech knew we wanted to expand this definition beyond 'traditional' technology skills. To us, it includes most every current, emerging or evolving role within an organization. By featuring leaders and emerging leaders across industries who embody this we hope to collectively 'stand up', be proud of our place in the digital world and inspire young women or those new to the 'tech space' to get involved.