Join us for a walkthrough of the Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Collegiate Award with members of the Aspirations in Computing Community and an NCWIT Higher Ed Award winner.
Elevating Excellence: NCWIT’s Collegiate Aspirations in Computing Community
August 29th, 2023: 3 pm PT / 4 pm MT / 5 pm CT / 6 pm ET
About this event:
Are you a woman, genderqueer, or non-binary college student who wants to be recognized for your technical skills and contributions and join a nationwide community of peers? Or, do you work with collegiate students who you want to encourage and connect with a supportive community? Attend a free, online webinar hosted by the NCWIT Higher Ed Alliance and Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community, and meet the following speakers:
- Dr. Alan Jamieson, recipient of the NCWIT Mentoring Award for Undergraduate Research
- Sarah Olson, Aspirations in Computing Campus Rep
- Meghan Flynn, 2019 National Award winner, now at Bank of America
- Vonesha Shaik, NCWIT AspireIT Leader
- Valencia Coleman, Graduate member of Aspirations in Computing Community
In this webinar, the speakers will:
- Share an overview of the AiC Community
- Show how to join the Community from the Collegiate Entrypoint
- Highlight Community opportunities for collegiate students
- Discuss the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award
- Share other ways you can engage with AiC
Hosts
The NCWIT Higher Ed Alliance is a coordinated network of faculty, staff, and administration at higher ed institutions across the nation who work to foreground inclusive processes in computer science environments. NCWIT conducts collaborative research, provides resources, and offers strategies for student success in order to understand and combat the effects of unconscious bias and stereotype threat, to examine recruitment and retention trends, to identify problem areas and solutions, measure progress, and much more. Student-facing higher ed faculty and staff are in key positions to help applicable undergraduate and graduate students connect to awards and an online community that could shift their persistence in the computing and technology field.
NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) changes what’s possible for women, genderqueer and non-binary people in technology from K-12, into post-secondary, and through career by offering the kind of encouragement that combats isolation, enables long-term persistence, opens doors, and changes lives. AiC uses program elements that spark interest in computing; recognizes and celebrates students’ technical aspirations and abilities; and, provides an expansive, supportive network called the AiC Community.
Speakers
Dr. Alan Jamieson is a teaching professor and director of computing programs for Khoury College of Computer Sciences at the Roux Institute, Northeastern University. His research interests include broadening participation in computer science, K-12 computational thinking and data science education integration, and combinatorial graph theory. Jamieson has spent his career introducing computer science to students with varying backgrounds and experiences with technology. Dr. Jamieson was a recipient of the National Center for Women and Information Technology’s Mentoring Award for Undergraduate Research, and he has been recognized for his service as a volunteer reviewer for the Aspirations in Computing Awards.
Sarah Olson is a student pursuing both a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She joined NCWIT after winning an Aspirations in Computing Massachusetts Affiliate Award Honorable Mention in 2021 and has continued her involvement in the community as a Campus Rep since Fall 2022. She is passionate about fixing inequities for children with learning differences in public school settings, and hopes to create tools to improve the accessibility of education in the future.
Meghan Flynn is a Software Engineer in the Technology Analyst Program at Bank of America (BoA) in Charlotte, NC. She was born and raised in New Jersey, where she recently graduated Cum Laude from the Albert Dorman Honors College at the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Computer Science. Meghan connected with the NCWIT community after being honored as an Aspirations in Computing (AiC) National Awardee in 2019.
Vonesha Shaik is a Computer Science major at The Georgia Institute of Technology. She has been actively involved with HexLabs, Girls Who Code, and Women in Computing at Georgia Tech to connect with fellow women in STEM regarding common aspirations and challenges. Esha has also been engaged in the NCWIT community for several years as an AspireIT Leader, Advisory Council Member, and panelist, taking a stand on narrowing the gender gap in technology through many initiatives. For the past four years, Esha has been interning at Bloomberg as a software engineer.
Valencia Coleman is an Associate Gameplay Engineer at Owlchemy Labs. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and is currently pursuing an MFA in Interactive Media and Game Design. She is an active advocate for diversity in the games industry and the alumni coordinator of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Foundation.