Vanessa Rivera Quiñones is an AI Coach at BeCode, an Ambassador for Clusity, a women-in-tech community, and a public speaker. At BeCode, she leads long-term AI & Data Science trainings for job seekers looking to transition into tech careers and facilitates reskilling and upskilling workshops for companies through active learning pedagogy. She believes any field thrives when there are more diverse perspectives and people are empowered to be their authentic selves. By combining her technical expertise with a learner-centered educational approach, Vanessa focuses on creating inclusive pathways into tech roles, empowering women, and supporting broader access to tech careers in the continuously evolving data field.
Over her career, Vanessa has been an advocate for the inclusion of women and minorities in STEM. Throughout her time at BeCode, she has coached 244 learners as part of the AI & Data Science bootcamp, of whom around 40% have been women, with an overall satisfaction of 4.7 out of 5. In addition, through workshops and short-term training, she has trained more than 150 participants in AI literacy skills across different industries and sectors. While numbers are a measure of impact, she believes that the best measure of impact has been the feedback received from her learners:
My teaching and coaching philosophy is encompassed six main principles:
No shame, no blame, no judgement: A fundamental base for my teaching is the knowledge that everyone takes the B.O.A.T. (best option at the time). When looking at our actions it may be easy to focus on the things that could've been done differently and judge ourselves. My goal as a coach is to give constructive feedback that builds on this principle and actively build with the learner structures that serve their learning process. I believe everyone can succeed if put in a position to do so.
Learn by doing: People learn most effectively when being able to try new things and experimenting with concrete examples. My role as a teacher and coach is to provide guidance and support for learners while prioritizing their independence. Skills are developed with experience over time.
No one-size-fits-all: Our classroom is a safe space to express any ideas, perspectives, and difficulties learners may have. While there often will be a common framework for each class, my role to make sure each individual learner has the proper tools they need to engage meaningfully in the class. There is no "one best way" to tackle a challenge. However, learning common best practices can help you use your creativity in efficient ways.
Learning is a team effort: In our classroom, we are a team collaborating together to achieve a common goal. This means we must help each other in solving challenges we will encounter during class. By collaborating, we get to discover how each of us learns best, and are exposed to new approaches that we wouldn't have come up with on our own.
Each problem is an opportunity: When we encounter challenges or difficult problems it can lead to a lot of frustration. Be flexible and enjoy the problem, because problem means opportunity. My role is to challenge learners to think outside the box, embrace failure as a step towards growth, and channel our energy into exploring solutions.
Cooperation, kindness, 100% commitment: Show up each day, try and try again! We are all learners. As a team we support and encourage each other to try new thing, take risk, and ultimately learn.