International Women's Day 2022

For this year’s International Women’s Day, we’ve asked a group of Tatari women to share their achievements within the company, as well as the contributions they’ve made in building an inclusive culture that celebrates each other’s differences and individuality – both within and beyond the workplace. 

The theme for 2022 is #BreaktheBias and there are many ways in which the women of Tatari resonate with the movement’s values. Here are a few examples of how our community of women is working to challenge stereotypes, uplift one another, and encourage more gender diversity and equity.

• The Women in Tech group, started by Thuy-Van Watts (Senior Data Engineer), was created to support members’ professional career paths and discuss topics surrounding women in the Tech industry. The group recently held a lunch-and-learn, open to all women of Tatari, to discuss how to transition into Tech from different fields. During this discussion, a brainstorm session took place where everyone exchanged ideas on how to navigate and position their voices during virtual meetings. Suggestions included: slacking each other words of encouragement throughout the meeting, setting the agenda, and training meeting leads on how to ensure everyone has a chance to exercise their voice.

• As part of Tatari’s monthly DEI talk, DEI committee members Joanna Orban (Client Services Manager) and Sam Stein (Client Services Strategist) gave a company-wide presentation on Women’s History Month. The presentation covered pay inequality, the gender investing gap, women led NFT projects, and resources for financial planning and empowerment.

• Used as a platform to support fellow women, the slack channel “ladies-of-tatari,” has evolved into a community in and of itself. Conversations range from beauty tips and fun weekend experiences to career guidance and promotion recognitions. “Ladies-of-tatari” has grown to 80 members since Thuy-Van Watts created the group, and is always welcoming new female Tatarians.

In addition, we asked our community of women the following questions, which focused on their individual achievements and how the values of #BreaktheBias have taken shape in their lives:

1. Tell us about a project that you’re most proud of.

2. How have you helped to foster an inclusive environment for yourself and other women in the workplace?

3. How do you embody the values that #BreaktheBias stands for?

Sabrina An, Data Science Analyst

• I am proud to be a dedicated analyst on one of our largest accounts. I love being able to support the incredible work that our Client Services team does by staying flexible and on top of the many complex data analytical requests that come my way to help drive and optimize customers’ TV initiatives.

• I am an active member of the DEI and Women in Tech communities at Tatari. We foster an inclusive environment by having open discussions about our experiences and supporting each other's career growth.

• In my personal life, being underrepresented is the lonely experience of walking into a room and being noticeably different than everybody else. It means being afraid to speak up because if I make a mistake, someone will interpret this as a reflection of my femaleness. It feels like walking into a classroom and someone, trying to be helpful, asking me if I'm lost. A difficult project, failed exam, or snarky peer becomes less of an obstacle to overcome and starts to look more like evidence that I'm not cut out for this type of work. The first step to breaking the bias is to identify how bias plays a role in your identity. Just recognizing the disconnect between my accomplishments and perceived downfall made a huge difference. I am kinder to myself when learning something new. I take moments to celebrate small wins and treat setbacks as an opportunity to grow. Through this internal work, I feel able to exist in male dominated spaces confidently and hope to use my position to advocate for more diversity in these spaces.

Karina Vargas, Media Buying Associate

• It is hard to pin down a single project that I am most proud of because there are a lot of accomplishments I’m proud of. I would say that overall, I am just proud of how far I have come already. Being first-gen, there are some obstacles that I have overcome (as I am sure others in my position can relate) to get to where I am today. I still have many goals and ambitions that I want to accomplish, but I think that a younger version of myself would be proud of the current me.

• It's very important for women to support other women in general, but especially in the workforce. I try to foster an inclusive environment for other women by always trying to be as helpful as I can, and really just be nice in general. Oftentimes society tries to pin women against each other, as if we are all in competition with one another, so by just showing some compassion and empathy towards other women really goes a long way. We should be assets to each other, and help lift each other up.

• I think I embody the values that #BreaktheBias stands for in a couple of ways. Being a feminist, I am always one to question the scrutiny that comes with women wanting to take control of their lives. For many years (centuries really) women have been expected to play certain roles in society. It's really inspiring to see how far we have come, but that's not to say we still don't have a long way to go. That's why it is so important to always question traditional stereotypes that have been placed on women, and find ways to break these norms. The other way in which I feel like I embody this is that I will always be a support system for the women in my life who are trying to better themselves and break free from traditional societal norms.

Jade Yee, Office Manager

• I ran a card making class for the whole company in December 2020. Card making was a hobby I picked up during the beginning of the pandemic and I wanted to share it with the rest of the company. I hand cut and shipped 150 card kits for all Tatarians and their family to participate in our December team activity. Being able to see everyone's finished cards at the end of our activity was such a fulfilling feeling and I loved being able to provide that for everyone while sharing one of my interests with the people I work with. The added bonus was that after the event, people would reach out to me telling me they sent their card to their friend or family and they loved it.

• Participating in our “ladies-of-tatari” Slack channel and fostering additional conversations. I love that we have a space to be able to chat with each other and always love to provide my thoughts and listen to everyone else's opinions.

Jazz Howington, Product Design Team Lead

• It's not necessarily a project per-say, but I'm proud of becoming a Team Lead as I was hired at Tatari to be an individual contributor. When my predecessor announced he was leaving, I offered to step up (because I've been a manager before and loved it). I'm proud of this moment because I never would have been considered if I hadn't advocated for myself and my team.

• I've been participating in our DEI committee and Women in Tech groups where we talk about women's issues in the workplace and try to address areas of improvement at Tatari. I've had several meetings with women in other departments who are interested in UX design to help mentor them in their career journey as much as possible. I want women out there to see us in Tech and know that they can do it too!

• I show up as my authentic self. As a queer, mixed race, woman lead in Tech, I come to work loud and proud about who I am. This might seem minuscule, but I used to hide who I was in the workplace to keep others from feeling 'uncomfortable' or to avoid difficult conversations. I try to embody being my true self at work so that other women in the workplace become more comfortable in who they are, and know that they BELONG.

Abigail Magalong, Media Buyer

• I owe a lot of my career to the women before me. I've been so lucky to work under some awesome managers who have taught me how to be a confident woman, an impactful negotiator and a team asset—and how to do it all with style and grace! It has inspired me to also lead by example, and to do my part to help guide and mentor young professionals too. 

• To me, #BreaktheBias means respect, honesty, compassion and commitment. It means treating my colleagues with dignity and respect—no matter their gender, position or background. It means being transparent and honest with myself and others. It means showing love and understanding for each others' feelings, emotions, and opinions. And it means committing to doing my part, and creating an open and safe space for everyone. 

Joanna Sapienza, Senior Media Buyer

• I was recently part of Tatari’s “Rate Control” project where we ensure clients are paying fair rates for their ads.

• As women, we feel the need to constantly prove that our work is valuable. I challenge this thought by reminding myself, and other women around me, that we are smart, capable and should be given the same opportunities to share our voice. I encourage women around me to share their thoughts and opinions without fear of being judged. Be confident & be heard!

• #BreaktheBias is about challenging assumptions. I fully believe that women cannot be placed in a single box. As a woman, I can be emotional but also a leader. I can be a fan of fashion, but also a fan of sports. I can be a good listener, but speak my mind. I value all the differences each woman brings to the table, and I encourage all women to be themselves, no matter who you are!