A series highlighting the experiences, perspectives, and advice of Latinas working in technology and business environments.
Welcome to the second blog post highlighting special Latina leaders in technology and business! My name is Emily Barragan and I’m a current sophomore at Duke University super interested in technology, products, and innovation. I’m beyond privileged to share the stories and journeys of such empowering women– and I hope you’re able to get even a glimpse of their passion, dedication, and ambition throughout this series.
For Ellie Reyna, her journey developing a neuroscience-backed ADHD paper planner began with an ADHD diagnosis.
As a junior at Duke University, Ellie studies psychology and innovation & entrepreneurship. She learned the foundations of neurodivergence in her Clinical Psychology class which was the reason she sought out an ADHD diagnosis in the first place.
She mentions that when creating Stratoplanner, focused on neurodivergent-friendly techniques, she’s coming from the perspective of someone with ADHD. Additionally, with her background in psychology she’s had many opportunities to find an intersection between her coursework and entrepreneurship. For example, with Social Psychology and Consumer Psychology, she’s learned how people interact with one another and interact with products. With her Behavioral Psychology course she’s picked up what goes into product marketing campaigns and how to leverage the user’s emotional connection to a product.
In terms of her cultural background and being in the entrepreneurship space, Ellie notes that she’s been raised in a family where “education always comes first”. It’s something that’s always been emphasized by her parents. In college, she likes to prioritize her education while also fully taking advantage of all of the resources Duke has to offer.
She admits that due to her background she has felt concerns about the lack of financial security that comes with pursuing her venture. At a place like Duke where there are a variety of pre-professional spaces, she sometimes has those intrusive thoughts of wanting to focus her time on internships and recruiting instead of taking on her venture. However, tapping into the Duke entrepreneurial resources she’s been able to gain access and guidance to tailored resources. Ellie is currently a Melissa and Doug fellow which is a 9-month program of a 10-person cohort of students in all disciplines and backgrounds who have access to mentorship coaching, exclusive alumni connections, and specific mentorship from Melissa Berstein (Co-Founder of Melissa and Doug). She says that being a Melissa and Doug fellow has been integral to developing her venture.
So, as a student founder, Ellie’s advice for Latinas trying to start their own ventures or who are interested in the business space is to “Be so deeply grounded in your why. Because when it gets hard, when you’re questioning yourself… come back to the whole reason you’re doing this in the first place.”
Ellie says there are times when you really have to look at the desire in your heart to be an entrepreneur and channel it to get through the rough patches in the journey. She aims to be that person who inspires others who are doubting their potential because of their background or cultural values. Her last piece of advice to young Latina entrepreneurs is, “if you believe in yourself and you believe in what you’re doing, and you believe in the product, or the service… then you’re the only one that can put limits for yourself.”
Feel free to connect with Ellie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-reyna-a689b6216
