Leading with Pride and Purpose

By Elaine Montilla | Founder of 5xMinority

Why Representation, Mentorship, and Community Still Matter in Tech

As a queer Latina and immigrant in tech, I know firsthand what it feels like to not see yourself reflected in the rooms where decisions are made. That’s why I created 5xMinority, to amplify voices that have been overlooked, and to help build a future where leadership is more inclusive, more human, and more representative of the world we actually live in.

Volunteering with Last Mile has been one of the most meaningful parts of that work. It’s not just about helping students cross a financial finish line; it’s about helping them realize they belong here, in tech and beyond. Meeting Kerstyn was a powerful reminder of what happens when we invest time, not just money, when we make space for mentorship, community, and encouragement. Pride Month is a time to celebrate how far we’ve come, but also to keep pushing forward—for equity, for access, and for each other. I’m proud to stand with Last Mile and all the students rewriting what success looks like.

If you’d like to keep the conversation going, you can find me on LinkedIn or follow along at @5xminority on Instagram and substack. I also share reflections and resources on leadership, inclusion, and tech over on 5xMinority.com.

"But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"