Read about Valeria Paulina Lobos Ossandon

What brought you to a career in technology at the United Nations?

I'm passionate that my work at the United Nations impacts public policies in different countries. I'm excited to contribute to changing the world with my work.

What has been your favorite IT project at the United Nations and what was your technical contribution?

My favorite project has been measuring the "digital basket" for Latin America and the Caribbean. The "digital basket" contains the value of internet plans and electronic devices and aims to promote public policies for access to connectivity. Using web scraping techniques, I worked on updating the price of the electronic devices in the basket.

What advice would you give women interested in pursuing a field in technology?

I invite all women to change their lives by studying careers in technology. As a teenager, I never imagined pursuing a career in technology. However, I ended up studying and working as a data scientist in the measurement of the digital economy. I'm very grateful that my career opened paths I never expected to walk. Computer science not only changed my life but allowed me to help change the world with my work.