The third annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event serves to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region. 

At this year's event, taking place Friday, Aug. 26, Sandra Mosquera will be one of the 40 honorees. 

Biography

Sandra Mosquera is subject matter expert in developing and executing visions, strategies, OKRs, and roadmaps for API products/gateways and technology modernization at large enterprises. As Vice President & API Marketplace Product Manager at JPMorgan Chase, she is able to do just that.

Throughout her career, Mosquera has been able to successfully introduce new capabilities for enterprise software platforms, utilizing agile methodologies and lead high-performing technical teams. 

She is passionate about diversity, inclusion and civic engagement, and strives to inspire women, immigrants, Black people and other underrepresented communities to overcome the fears of engineering education, imposter syndrome and risk aversion to become part of the tech industry through mentorship, conferences and volunteering.

A proud Afro-Latina immigrant from El Choco, a rainforest located on Colombia's pacific coast, Mosquera holds a bachelor's degree in information systems and a Master's degree in Business Administration and Strategic management from Villanova University. 

As part of the lead-up to the AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, AL DÍA asked each of the honorees a set of identical questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Sandra Mosquera's responses: 

What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your professional career? 

I could say that discrimination has been one of my biggest challenges, but as a black Latina immigrant, discrimination is to be expected, and to be honest, every time I faced discrimination, it redirected me to a better company or role. 

In reality, the biggest challenge at the beginning of my career was the lack of information and mentors that could help me navigate the corporate world. Combined with impostor syndrome, it led me to lose wages and opportunities early on. I remember when I was close to finishing my undergrad, I was excited to get a 20% or so increase in my income. After graduation, I landed a job that offered me 10k more than what I asked for, only to find out from a school counselor that the going salary range for my industry was a lot higher. I did much better for my second position since I had more experience, but I still believed that I was asking for too much money to find out later that my peers were making slightly more. I also had no reference about titles, benefits, rights, work-life balance, etc.  

What are steps that can be taken to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in your industry? Why is it important to do so?

First, we must start by attracting more minorities and women to pursue college careers in tech. 

Second, we need to encourage nontraditional students to consider software engineering and software-related fields as a career path that doesn't require a college education. 

Finally, we need to teach our people about resume writing and interviewing so that they can take advantage of the current opportunities.

What does being a leader mean to you? 

I am passionate about diversity, inclusion, and civic engagement. I strive to inspire women, immigrants, black people, and other minorities to overcome the fears of engineering education, impostor syndrome, and risk aversion to become part of the technology industry through mentorship, conferences, and volunteering. And I work to create opportunities for people from impoverished communities, like the one I come from, and educate and guide people to take advantage of these opportunities. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope to continue to be an inspiration for women and people of color so that more of us join the tech industry. I would also like to be considered a thought leader in my space and eventually become a managing director in my current company.

The 2022 AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will take place Friday, Aug. 26 at The Vie at Cescaphe. To learn more or purchase your ticket, click here.