Image courtesy of NYCWiC
Syracuse was the host city recently for NYCWiC, the New York Celebration of Women in Computing‘s annual conference.
This conference was for women from across the state to present various IT-related topics through poster sessions, research presentations, panels, workshops, and other great activities providing excellent opportunities for networking and professional growth.
Schools and organizations from across the nation have gathered to share in Women in Computing’s vision to “… encourage women to complete their studies in computing by exploring careers and meeting women leaders from business, industry, and academia.”
This year, iSchool student organization, It Girls Alumnae, showcased their organization at NYCWiC and walked out with a couple awards and great confidence.
Image Courtesy of It Girls Alumnae
IT Girls Alumnae is a student organization consisting of the alumnae of the It Girls Retreat.
What is the It Girls Retreat? It’s an organized weekend in the fall dedicated to empowering women through exploring information technology. It’s a weekend of “being curious, collaborative and creative.” (This fall, the It Girls Retreat will be taking place in October at the iSchool for its fifth consecutive year!)
Elizabeth Griffin via Twitter
Elizabeth Griffin, a senior who is double-majoring in Information Management and Technology at the iSchool and History at the Maxwell School, and the president of It Girls Alumnae, shared her team’s experiences at NYCWiC.
She is the first president of It Girls Alumnae, since this academic year is the group’s pilot year. She and the e-board planned a variety of events on campus throughout the year both exclusively for the alumnae of the It Girls Retreat and for all Syracuse University students.
It Girls Alumnae E-Board (l-r): Megan Swanson ’18, Elizabeth Griffin ’15, Rosaly Salcedo ’16, Chelsea Hawkins ’17, Christie Jasmin ’17. (Photo: iSchool.syr.edu)
Jessica Murray, the group’s staff advisor, encouraged It Girls Alumnae to submit an application to present their organization at the conference. The group was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were actually pitching twice. The e-board participated in the first timer talk on an outreach panel and a poster presentation.
The first-timer talk was a presentation of It Girls Alumnae as an organization. It was a presentation on how the organization “connects It girls and builds sisterhood in technology.”
The group’s poster was entitled, “Forming Sisterhood in Technology.” The e-board discussed their point of view of network development for women in technology.
Other presenters included other female college students from SUNY Albany, Ithaca College, RIT, and other schools from across the state. The It Girls won second place at the poster presentation and came home with a Xbox 1 courtesy of Microsoft. It Girls Alumnae President Elizabeth Griffin, shares, “It was inspiring to be around such empowering women who wanted everyone to succeed. It was fantastic.”
Recently, the group’s e-Board also was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Service. (If you would like more information about this award, click here!)
All told, it has been a great year of hard work and dedication for It Girls Alumnae! Moving forward, it is exciting to see how the organization can continue contributing to the female network in Information Technology.
Did you attend NYCWiC? Do you have any ideas for female empowerment in IT? Leave your comments below!
(Editor’s note: thanks to Elizabeth Griffin for this post’s featured photo of the It Girls Alumae poster displayed at Hinds Hall at the iSchool.)
