Valeria Paulina Lobos Ossandón

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

I'm passionate that my work at the United Nations has an impact on public policies in different countries. I'm excited to contribute to change the world with my work.

What has been your favorite technology project or initiative at the United Nations and why? What was your contribution?

My favorite project has been working on the measurement of 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 in the measurement of the digital economy as a data scientist. My career opened up paths I never expected to walk and I'm very grateful for it. Computer science not only changed my life, but it allows me to help change the world with my work.