Kenia Piña: “Data Science Leader Advancing Equity in STEM”

Title: Senior Business Analyst
Organization: Pg&E
Age: 32

Kenia Piña is a proud first-generation Latina in data analytics whose story reflects what is possible when resilience, passion, and community are given room to grow. She has built her path through technical rigor, perseverance, and a deep belief that success means little if it is not used to open doors for others.

Her commitment to creating space for others is deeply personal. As a college student finding her way in STEM, Kenia often questioned whether she truly belonged in the spaces she had worked so hard to reach. What changed her trajectory was community: mentors, programs, and support systems that helped her see her own potential more clearly. That experience shaped her confidence and her sense of responsibility to become that source of support for others.

Kenia earned a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in Mathematics with a concentration in Data Science. Her research background spans astronomy, computational neuroscience, and biomedical data science, including discovering a supernova as an undergraduate researcher. In her professional work, she uses data to help organizations make smarter, more human-centered decisions. Her career has included predictive modeling and advanced analysis in the energy sector, where her work delivered measurable value at organizations including Chevron and PG&E.

For more than a decade, Kenia has paid forward the opportunities that changed her life. She tutors students, mentors aspiring STEM talent, speaks on panels, and creates spaces where others, especially Latinos in tech and STEM, can feel seen, supported, and inspired. Through work with Techqueria, Somos.Tech, and Más Que Tech, and by returning as a judge and mentor for emerging STEM researchers, she has helped lead conversations around representation, authentic connection, and building success without leaving community behind.

Shaped by the resilience of growing up undocumented and first-generation, Kenia represents what is possible when excellence is matched with heart.