The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing continues to grow with each passing year, and its impact on its attendees can’t be overstated.
Its influence on the School of Informatics and Computing is impressive, too.
More than 15,000 attendees, including 50 students from SoIC, attended the three-day conference in Houston in late October. Keynote speakers included Ginni Rometty, the president and CEO of IBM, Latanya Sweeny, a professor at Harvard and the editor-in-chief of Technology Science, and Megan Smith, the Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing highlights the research and career interests of women in computing. It welcomed more than 300 companies to its career fair, and it featured a wide range of professional development workshops.
“At GHC, women students are immersed in a supportive community of women with whom they can network, share experiences, seek advice, and render advice,” says Lamara Warren, the interim assistant dean for diversity and education who was an organizer for SoIC’s trip. “Ultimately, GHC helps women students envision a satisfying and successful career in the field of computing. SoIC highly encourages our students to attend GHC to demonstrate and reiterate our commitment to increasing the number of women pursuing and receiving degrees in computing and because of the powerful impact of the conference.”
The SoIC students took full advantage of the opportunities the conference provided.
“Honestly, it was magical,” says Alexandria Heston, a senior in Informatics with a cognate in Human Computer Interaction. “I was treated with kindness and understanding by everyone I came in contact with, and every step of the way I was shown that my dreams of becoming successful in STEM could be a reality. It's genuinely a fun and educational experience for those who believe in a future of diversity. I met a spectrum of people as colorful as the rainbow, and I don't regret a single minute I spent there.”
For Evyania Tsarnas, a senior Informatics major with a cognate in Informatics Security, Grace Hopper was both overwhelming and empowering.
“I left the conference with a newfound feeling of confidence,” Tsarnas says. “Seeing so many successful women who have achieved their goals really showed me that it’s possible for me to do the same. The experience was awesome, and SoIC really helped prepare us before leaving.”
The speakers proved to be an inspiration for the attendees as well. Maggie Criqui, who is pursuing a master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction Design, came away from the conference confident that she is headed in the right direction.
“A highlight for me was hearing Megan Smith give an impromptu talk in one of the booths at the career fair,” Criqui says. “I want to pursue a career in the public sector, so seeing her talk up close and personal was incredibly inspiring. I just took away a greater understanding of what I want to do for my career.”
More than anything, the women found a sense of community at the conference that energized them all.
“You can easily recognize the gender bias of STEM simply by analyzing the representation of women within the classroom,” Heston says. “Grace Hopper was that quintessential moment for me where I realized I am part of a community around the world who believes in me and wants to help me succeed. There were women from all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds who came together to learn from one another.”
The professional development lectures served to open doors to new ideas for the students, and it gave them techniques and strategies to overcome obstacles they may find in the future. It also gave the women an opportunity to stray outside of their comfort zones.
“If you feel like you should follow a certain track of sessions just because they are all similar topics, switch it up,” says Renee Bialas, a sophomore in Computer Science. “I took away not only new information from the sessions I went to but also a new sense of excitement to be a part of such a powerful force in technology.”
Funding for the SoIC trip to the Grace Hopper Conference came from a variety of sources, including sponsorships, donations, and other arrangements that arose out of summer internships, providing total support of $55,000.
“Our dedication to bringing as many students as we can to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is a source of pride for the School,” says Raj Acharya, the dean of SoIC. “The empowering messages of the conference prove to be a source of inspiration not only to those who attend, but our students also bring back the lessons learned and pass them on to others as part of our thriving community in the School.”
For more information about attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, visit GraceHopper.org.