The Annual Nashville Technology Council Awards took place at the WildHorse Saloon on Thursday, February 16th, and NSS was thrilled to have not one but THREE alumni as finalists across two categories! 

Two-time NSS alumna, Shruti Sharma of Data Science Cohort 1 and Web Development Cohort 6 was a finalist for the Data Scientist of the Year. Shruti is a Manager, Enterprise Data Warehouse at Ingram Content Group. Dr. Teresa Vasquez (Dr. T) and Trinity Terry are both NSS Web Development alumnae and the first mother/daughter finalists for the Software Engineer of the Year. Dr. T is the Lead Instructor for NSS’s Part-time Web Development program and the Repped In Tech co-founder. Trinity Terry is an NSS Part-time Web Development instructor, engineer at Eventbrite, and fellow Repped in Tech co-founder. 

Dr. T took home the guitar for Software Engineer of the Year, live streaming her reaction on Instagram from her table to the stage and even all the way backstage! “I love the idea of the Greater Nashville Technology Council Awards, but I love more the idea that those of us who are daily impacting experience through technologies we teach and build can aspire to also change the very communities in which we live,” she shared in a post on her LinkedIn page the night before the awards ceremony. 

Representation matters and sometimes putting yourself out there means you’re more visible and exposed, but it can also mean growth and opportunity. Not only for yourself but also for those who are coming after you. Guitar or not, I’ve been in the finalist circle before and the doors that opened up for me after were more valuable. That’s what I want for my community. Wide open doors that lead to options. The work is not done until we are ALL Repped In Tech!”
- Dr. Teresa Vasquez, Software Engineer of the Year

In expressing her congratulations and appreciation for Dr. T and Trinity with NSS students and alumni, Rochelle Mikel Rossman of Web Development Cohort E19 shares, “My NSS experience has been incredible because of their work and dedication.”

Also among the winners was our friends at Blacks In Technology Nashville, Holly Rachel and Lena Winfree, taking home the award for Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year for their work with BiT Nashville. 

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners! We’re so proud and inspired by your work and voices in the Nashville tech community, and NSS is happy to come alongside that work to make better opportunities for folks in Middle Tennessee and beyond! 

Watch Dr. T’s Interview from the moment after her big win!