Ten years ago, my husband filed for divorce after nearly 25 years of marriage. Unexpectedly, I had to go back to work to care for our five children.

As I struggled to put together my resume, I realized that my professional career had been on hiatus for 18 years! Even though I had a degree in advertising, I felt unfamiliar with the digital world and terms like Google AdWords were foreign to me.

A neighborhood friend suggested I create a LinkedIn profile, but the professional photos and well-groomed profiles I saw online were too intimidating.

Convinced that no one would hire me, I applied for every administrative assistant position I could find, but I didn’t receive a single response.

I was completely discouraged and asked my younger brother for advice. He recommended that I do some informational interviews with his friends who had founded KT TAPE. He assured me that I would learn a lot, gain good experience and maybe even get recommendations for other companies in the Valley.

A few days after my meeting, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they wanted to hire me as a marketing coordinator – even though I had no direct marketing experience. Grateful and relieved, I started my new job two weeks later.

My role at KT TAPE opened up more opportunities for me than I could have imagined. I originally planned to stay there long-term, but when the founders left the company, my responsibilities were gradually reduced.

At that point, I decided to move into tech. I had read a lot about tech companies wanting to hire more women, so I assumed it would be easy.

I was wrong.

I applied to almost every tech company within a 40-mile radius, but never got a single interview. It was discouraging, but I was determined to get into the tech industry. However, I knew that to do so, I had to look like I belonged.

So I took a beginner’s coding course. I became a regular attendee at local technology conferences like Silicon Slopes Summit and Qualtrics X4. I networked with people in the industry and offered to write an article for Silicon Slopes Magazine interviewing founders of tech startups about their company culture. I also familiarized myself with industry jargon like SaaS, DevOps, full stack, and cloud computing.

Eventually, my efforts paid off. I was hired by Domo and later by Amazon Web Services (AWS). In less than six years, I went from being a stay-at-home mom to working for one of the most respected technology companies in the world.

Winston Churchill once said, “We make our living by what we get, but we live by what we give.” After pursuing an unconventional career path for ten years, last year I decided to focus on giving back – and Elavare is the vehicle to realize that mission. We are committed to empowering mothers to return to the workforce with confidence, especially in technology, where women currently make up just 15% of the workforce in Utah, compared to 22.5% nationwide.

We want to change this through tailored support, resources and returnship programs.

To help as many women as possible, Elavare is hosting an event – ​​both in person and online – at Utah Valley University (UVU) on October 26, 2024. Remember the date!

Moms will learn how to build a resume and LinkedIn profile, successfully interview, and navigate the job market. This event is designed to give moms the tools and confidence they need to re-enter the workforce, particularly in technical careers where they can help close the gender gap.

Students can also attend for free if they bring a paying mother. This is a unique opportunity for students to encourage their mothers to get their careers back on track. Additionally, students can benefit from the event by learning the same essential skills that will prepare them to enter the workforce after graduation.

Local businesses can support mothers by sponsoring the event or partnering with Elavare to launch returnship programs, modeled after Goldman Sachs’ 2008 initiative. These short-term, paid internships help women re-enter the workforce and give them the skills and experience they need to succeed and move into leadership roles.

When mothers are given the opportunity to return to work, household income increases, dependence on welfare is reduced and they contribute more effectively to the economy, which in turn creates a positive ripple effect in the community.

I encourage you to invite the mothers in your life to join our website to learn more. Proceeds from the event will fund scholarships to help single mothers go back to school, build a better future for themselves and contribute to the growth and diversity of the tech industry.