© All rights reserved. Powered by Techronicler
Women's History Month
In Conversation with
MONICA PARA
A Techronicler interview with Monica Para, a data analyst in the education sector.
In the Chicago tech ecosystem, Monica Para is fast becoming a name synonymous with both technical rigor and community building. A data analyst in the education sector with deep roots in software engineering, finance, and trading, Monica represents a new generation of tech professionals who refuse to be defined by a single niche.
With a background in Computer Science and Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently pursuing a Master’s in Applied Data Science at the University of Chicago, Monica’s journey is fueled by a unique blend of analytical depth and human-centric strategy. Beyond the data, she is a dedicated advocate for connection, focusing on technical content and event planning to strengthen the local tech landscape.
As part of our Women’s History Month series, we spoke with Monica about her transition from the Nintendo DS to AI workflows, why “being likable” is a career superpower, and her mission to bring transparency back to the hiring process.
Techronicler: Thank you for joining us, Monica! Everyone has an origin story! What was the first piece of technology you ever broke, built, or fell in love with?
Monica Para:
I loved the Nintendo DS, especially playing Nintendo Dogs.
Techronicler: What problem are you most excited to be working on right now?
Monica Para:
Right now, I am excited to be building AI workflows and agents in my professional life to grow my business skills.
Techronicler: What skill has been most important to your growth in tech so far?
Monica Para:
The soft skills, such as communication and human psychology, will take you further than tech skills alone. If you want to grow in your career, you have to be likable as a person and easy to work with, which can be learned through practice and psychology.
Techronicler: What is the one book every woman in tech should read this year?
Monica Para:
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. This book transformed the way I view networking and building meaningful relationships.
Techronicler: If you could change one thing about how we interview and hire in tech to make the process more equitable, what would it be?
Monica Para:
We need to stop normalizing ghosting and ensure that all candidates who applied for a role get a decision on their application, regardless of the outcome. Communication and transparency are key.
Techronicler: What do you want people to understand about women in tech that often gets missed?
Monica Para:
Women in tech are just as capable as anyone else to do the work and make an impact at scale.
Techronicler: What is some advice you want to give to other young-in-their-industry women entering the tech space?
Monica Para:
I learned this the hard way, but everything you do in a professional setting is being evaluated, whether you realize it or not – and no, not just at performance reviews with your manager. Have a tribe of mentors to support you and document everything.
For those early in their career, I would recommend joining Rewriting the Code as I found the space to be a career accelerator with the support and professional resources I get from the community that helped me grow from a struggling undergraduate student in Computer Science as a teen to now a tech professional.
Monica’s perspective is a refreshing reminder that technical excellence is only half the battle; the “soft” skills of psychology and communication are often what truly scale an individual’s impact. Her call for transparency in hiring—and her advocacy for communities like Rewriting the Code—highlights the importance of building a “tribe” to navigate the complexities of a professional career.
A massive thank you to Monica Para for her candor and for reminding us that while our work is being evaluated every day, it’s the meaningful relationships we build that sustain us.
Monica Para is an MS Applied Data Science Candidate and Data Analyst at the University of Chicago. She builds AI integration solutions across platforms and previously developed software for trading systems at a bank. She also contributes to education technology non-profits and is a proud member of Rewriting the Code, which introduced her to the professional world of technology in 2019.