An anonymous donor made it possible for members of WACM, a student organization for women in computing, to attend WECode, the largest student-run women in tech conference in the world. Photos courtesy of WACM.
By Rachel Robey
In February, four members of WACM, UW–Madison’s largest organization for students interested in supporting women in computing, traveled to the WECode Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hosted annually at Harvard University, the gathering is dedicated to empowering a new generation of STEM professionals through mentorship, networking, and community building. Attendees included senior Carol Sze, sophomores Riya Goel and Ojal Prasad, and freshman Prisha Agarwalla — all of whom were able to attend thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.
“WACM has been working hard to build a community for women in STEM at UW–Madison. The biggest barrier we face is simply paying for all of it,” says Sze, WACM’s president and a double-major in Computer Sciences and Gender & Women’s Studies. “All of the conferences WACM sends members to, all of the lunches we organize with industry and faculty, all of the community events WACM hosts — none of it would be possible without financial support from donors.”
This kind of community building couldn’t come at a better time. Even though a woman is credited as the first computer programmer, women still make up only 26% of the computer science workforce. And at universities across the country, only 21% of computer science degrees are awarded to women. Yet where there’s a WACM, there’s a way: Studies show that women in computing groups can help “boost female participation in the field.” WACM’s success proves it.
“As a woman in tech, it’s hard to find community and resources that are tailored to your specific experiences,” continues Sze. The WECode Conference offered both in spades, providing career advice in addition to introducing attendees to industry leaders from NASA, Pinterest, Adobe, JP Morgan, and beyond. Following the conference, WACM members gathered for a recap, during which the officers who attended shared back strategies, event ideas, and promising leads amongst the group. All these learnings will be baked directly into WACM’s future programming, organizers say.
Sze credits department staff and administrators who work diligently to secure funding and resources for student programming. “Cindy [Fendrick, the academic manager for Computer Sciences] reached out and was like, ‘We have a donor who provided money exactly for this purpose, to support students with professional development opportunities,’” says Sze.
Those experiences are critical for students. Attending conferences like WECode and Grace Hopper helped Sze find data engineering, which she plans to pursue after graduating in May. Her travel to and from both conferences was covered by department and donor funding.
“Since I’ve become part of WACM, I’ve seen the community grow so much,” says Sze. “And with CDIS becoming a college in the near future, there are only going to be more women looking for their place in technology.”
With the support of generous donors, we can ensure UW–Madison always offers a warm welcome.
Join us in celebrating the power of collective giving this Day of the Badger! Help us reach 100 donations by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 15 to unlock $25,000 more for students.