Tereza Vankova, a former molecular biologist turned software engineer, is on a mission to empower women in tech through her work as the founder of ReactGirls and R&D Community Manager at Mews. Tereza’s personal journey of self-retraining, paired with her advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, has made her a key figure in supporting women’s entry into IT. We spoke with Tereza about her career transition, the pivotal role of mentorship, and the initiatives she’s spearheading to bridge the gender gap in tech, both at ReactGirls and Mews.
The first challenge was determining if IT was the right fit for me. In science, I missed the knowledge-sharing and peer support that IT offers. My next challenge was figuring out where to begin, so I decided to dive in by taking courses in various programming languages like JavaScript, C#, Python, and Ruby on Rails. I retrained through self-study and found a job thanks to the communities, so their role was crucial to my success.
Throughout my career, I have relied on mentors for guidance. At the beginning of my technical journey, I sought the advice of senior developers who advised me on what to learn and try, including Pavel Cvetler (formerly at Livesport, now Head of Engineering at Shoptet). As ReactGirls grew, I turned to mentors with experience building nonprofits and companies, like Petr Burian (former CTO of Livesport) and Marek Velas (founder of Edupunk). Later, I had the privilege to mentor within ReactGirls and other communities and share what I learned. Today, as I progress in my career, I've connected with another excellent mentor through Femme Palette, whose insights help me to tackle new challenges and accelerate my growth.
Mews offers excellent support to its female employees, including six months of paid maternity leave, remote working, and the flexibility to work part-time. We strive to increase diversity in our teams, and although we currently have a relatively high number of women in both development and management roles, there is always room for growth. In IT, supporting women in technical roles often means helping junior women transition into the industry. We support initiatives such as Czechitas, ReactGirls, Femme Palette, and JuniorGuru locally and Codam abroad. We are also developing educational programs and training sessions for women and girls.
We need to lead by example at Mews. Company leadership strongly supports these initiatives, and we don’t view parenthood as a career-ender. Both women and men are encouraged to take full advantage of paid parental leave and part-time work options. Remote working and flexible hours also provide significant support for parents. However, we see areas for improvement, particularly in hiring more junior technical roles and fostering their growth and development.
One of the critical milestones was when our first students got jobs in IT - it gave me a huge motivation to continue our work. Another significant moment was when I found myself the only woman in a technical position at a startup, further encouraging me to get female colleagues on the team. However, I must admit that during the wave of layoffs, I lost a bit of motivation and saw mostly obstacles ahead. During this period, our team at ReactGirls, led by Zuzana Vlachovská, provided me with invaluable support. They stayed motivated, determined to give it their all, and kept finding new ways to offer support, which helped me regain my drive. The evolving work environment in IT shaped our mission, but the core vision—getting more women into the tech industry—remains unchanged.
I’ve noticed that common challenges include questions about where to start, how to stay motivated, and how to land that first job. We offer a straightforward path for getting started, as our focus at ReactGirls is primarily on front-end development with React, guiding students from the basics. To keep motivation high, we foster a strong sense of community by hosting monthly meetups where students can inspire and support one another. We rely on our network and partnerships to connect students with opportunities when finding that first job. Of course, the challenges don’t stop with landing the first job—if anything, they begin at that point. I strongly recommend that junior developers seek out mentors for guidance. This could be technical mentors within the community, more senior developers at their workplace, or through mentoring programs like Femme Palette. Having someone experienced to turn to can make a huge difference in navigating the early stages of a tech career.
Czechitas has had the most significant impact in the Czech Republic when retraining women for IT roles, given the number of women they've helped. However, this issue has expanded beyond a few organizations; it’s now on the government's radar and many companies. There's still plenty of work ahead, but in recent years this topic has gained significant attention. As a society, we’re beginning to understand that addressing the massive shortage of tech professionals can be significantly improved by encouraging more women to retrain for careers in IT. And at ReactGirls, we’re committed to contributing to this cause.
At the very beginning, my only plan was to retrain in IT. But as ReactGirls took shape, I found myself surrounded by many women on the same journey and helping them become incredibly fulfilling. It soon became apparent that juggling multiple roles—being a full-time software engineer, advocating for women in tech, and building a nonprofit—was unsustainable. When Jan Meissner, whose name is practically synonymous with Mews in Prague, approached me at the start of the year and offered me a position on his team, I saw it as a new opportunity to make an impact. Partnering with a forward-thinking company like Mews, which is already committed to making a positive change, felt like the right move. I can draw from my experiences with ReactGirls and apply them at Mews while also bringing insights from Mews back to ReactGirls. This exchange allows me to create a positive impact in both environments.
I briefly touched on this topic in my talk, as I don’t yet have a comprehensive solution to the problem. However, I aim to highlight the issue and explore potential solutions. One approach I see is for companies to establish programs that help women enter key technical positions rather than just junior roles. This would make them less vulnerable to layoffs, a challenge they have faced more frequently.
I prioritize my well-being above all else, a lesson that took time and several relationships to grasp fully—no one else will prioritize it for me. Like everyone, I sometimes face a packed schedule and rising stress levels. In those moments, I have to make tough decisions, occasionally setting aside tasks that make sense but don't fit into my time. However, I've established an essential routine, including daily exercise, healthy sleep, and quality time with my loved ones. With the remaining time—still the majority of my day—I focus on work, prioritizing tasks based on their alignment with my personal and company values.
My long-term goals align with ReactGirls' mission to bring more women into IT and my personal values of empathy and helping others. As a team, we aim to lead by example and demonstrate that the strength of the community can significantly impact societal challenges. I want to continue finding practical solutions and encouraging the engagement of both non-profit and for-profit organizations.
