Women's History Month Employee Spotlight: Amy Antonucci, Ph.D. (she, her, hers) Senior Instructor
Amy Antonucci, Ph.D., says she used to blame herself for some of the poor experiences she had in her software developer career. But that’s not the case anymore.
“Only after learning about DEI and other women’s experience in IT did I realize that the negative experiences I had were not my fault. Realizing this has made me even more passionate about working toward gender equality in IT,” she says.
Professionals like Amy are overcoming barriers and serving as an inspiration to women pursuing IT careers. Amy recounts, “I had a student thank me for being here as a woman in IT. She acknowledged that she often feels alone as a female student in IT, and she’s glad that I’m here to provide an example. I pointed her to the Women in Tech student group!”
Amy plays a pivotal role in guiding and mentoring IT students. She explains, “I am a Senior Instructor on the computer science team. I’ve been an instructor as long as I’ve been at WGU, but I started on the software development team, supporting Java. When the Computer Science BS was created, I joined that team.” Throughout her nine years at WGU, Amy has found it particularly gratifying to establish individual connections with students.
“I’ve had a few students with whom I really connected. One student graduated before the pandemic, and his graduation ceremony was at the tail end of an academic meeting. When I was on the bus waiting to be taken back to the hotel, I saw him on the sidewalk. I ran off the bus to say hi, and he gave me a huge hug. I received celebratory comments about this for the rest of the meetings!”
Amy is also involved in the Women in Tech ERG at WGU. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are essential to WGU’s mission of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). Amy states, “Being a member of an ERG has made me realize aspects about myself that I never quite understood before. Because of this, I understand myself better, which I feel is very important towards happiness. The equity series and ERGs help me to be more inclusive in my personal life [and] as an instructor here. I love that we’re trained to recognize cultural aspects other than our own.”
Amy remains resilient and determined to impact her students’ lives positively. Her commitment to empowering women in technology is a compelling example of how WGU staff and students can create a more diverse and supportive learning environment for all.
