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LET'S COLLABORATE...I HAVE OVER 10 YEARS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING EXPERIENCE AND HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MORE THAN 100 PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS. MY SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS ARE DYNAMIC, POWERFUL, ACTIONABLE AND AUTHENTIC. MY AUDIENCES HAVE INCLUDED A WIDE ARRAY OF CORPORATIONS, MULTI-NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES.
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KEYNOTE SPEECHES
My keynotes are powerful, deeply researched, and designed to shift thinking and inspire action. Delivered with clarity and warmth, my speeches dive into topics tailored to your audience’s needs.
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FIRESIDE CHATS
A fresh alternative to traditional talks, my fireside chats blend storytelling with candid dialogue, perfect when you want authenticity, vulnerability, and curiosity at the heart of the conversation. My fireside formats spark connection and bring nuanced topics to life.
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PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Inviting me to your panel means adding a thoughtful, well-prepared voice who elevates the conversation rather than just ‘checking a box’ for you. I engage deeply with topics, always weaving audience relevance into every insight.
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MODERATION
As a moderator, I do far more than ask questions. I orchestrate the conversation, keep the energy focused, and make sure every voice adds value.
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Past speaking engagements have been centered around the following topics:
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COMMUNITAS AMERICAS: JESSICA SANTANA ON BUILDING A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION"We did things that didn't scale. We only worked in our first year with 20 students. In our second year, we only worked with 40 students. Evin and I were very intentional about not growing too fast, too quickly and really focusing on having a strong product and program and service for young people. We didn't get to our 100 student mark until our third class of students. While we were small, we would tell people we were big! We approached it with a strong vision."
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COMPASS LEADERS SPOTLIGHT ON ENDING GENERATIONAL POVERTY"How we leverage the collective intelligence of our communities to participate meaningfully in innovative development of products and solutions that are ultimately going to advance our students and families forward. We wanted to actually create a pathway for young people in the communities that we're from to actually participate meaningfully in innovation."
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TEDXWILMINGTON TALK ON TECH EDUCATION AND INCLUSION"Today technology companies are just a few blocks away from struggling schools, from overworked teachers, from communities they surround. Technologists get off the same train stops as students do. They then diverge in paths as they enter into their buildings and then students go off to meet their friends before the school bell rings. Two people so close in proximity to each other, but far in projected life outcomes."
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FIRESIDE ABOUT BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP"Diversity up until this point has not been treated as a product. It has been treated as a charity and until we actually see the business return on investment for how you get more people of color, more women of color, and women with a seat at the table in a way that is equitable and fair, I don't think we have solved the problem.I think we continue to perpetuate the systems that don't let us flourish in the first place. I don't know how we get there, but I think the first step is recognizing that you are part of the problem and numbers are not enough. You can't treat diversity like charity. "
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Dannielle Romoleroux
Growth and Engagement Manager / Jopwell
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I reached out to Jessica Santana for Jopwell's Latinx Heritage Month event, Nuestras Voces, because of her work in our community and in advancing the education of tech with students of color. And I'm glad I did, Jessica shared everything from her personal experiences to the statistics and disparities that exist within technology and community. It was clear that Jessica not only works within her passion but she lives her passion, and inspired the audience to advocate for opportunities in tech within their community and become agents of change. I look forward to working with Jessica again soon.
Dannielle Romolerou
Growth and Engagement Manager / Jopwell
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Alison Yanez-McKay
Communications Manager / Communitas Americas
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Communitas America recently had the pleasure to host Jessica Santana at a virtual Fireside Chat where she shared with our community the story of her entrepreneur journey building and scaling America on Tech and discussed some of the lessons she learned along the way. Our Fireside Chat was attended by many BIPOC social entrepreneurs and founders that work with under-represented communities and were able to identify with many of the challenges that she faced throughout her career. From sharing about some of the obstacles faced by BIPOC students in the U.S. to designing programs to meet the needs of her community, Jessica’s examples of listening to the community and allowing space to pivot, were all values that resonated with our mission-driven audience. During these uncertain times, it was valuable for our community to hear from a strong voice like Jessica’s share her entrepreneur journey and drive home the importance of technology to set up young people with the skills they need to create a career path rooted in tech and innovation.
Alison Yanez-McKay
Communications Manager / Communitas Americas
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Jessica has joined our community at Plug In South LA through various speaking engagements. She participated in a Panel Discussion Strategy Session in collaboration with dot.la, plus a community roundtable and panel at South LA's Premier tech conference, Urban Tech Connect discussing ways to work collaboratively to bring about change in the tech ecosystem throughout marginalized communities like South LA, especially when focusing on youth. Jessica definitely exceeded our expectations! Her contributions to the conversation were energetic, progressive, and extremely relevant to folks in the audience. She was friendly, focused, exceptionally knowledgeable, and relaxed. She inspired and motivated the audience to step up and do more to support tech in our underrepresented communities, many of whom wanted to get connected to speak to Jessica in more detail. We have recommended Jessica for other speaking engagements and will continue to do so as she is a valuable asset to our community growth!
Molly Crete
Program Manager / Plug In South LA
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You can use the form below to inquire about booking Jessica for an event.
Our team will be in touch with next steps.
Our team will be in touch with next steps.
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