The 23rd Annual Women in Technology Conference will be held at the Student Recreation Center, or Rec, through the South entrance, on Feb. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s theme is “We can do it!” and the conference is open to everyone, offering networking opportunities with professionals, free professional headshots, prizes, food provided and the chance to meet Reveille X.
The conference began 23 years ago to help female management information systems, or MIS, students network with professionals, advance their career and collaborate with like-minded peers.
This conference encourages women to enroll in the MIS program as the field is primarily composed of males. The five most powerful tech companies in the world (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft) average a workforce of only 34.4% women, Forbes reads. This initiative promotes females going into corporate workplaces, Director of the Center for the Management of Information Systems Della Whitcomb said.
“In terms of the ratio of female students to male students, females certainly are still a minority, but the numbers have increased significantly,” Whitcomb said.
For many, this conference has been instrumental for networking in a comfortable environment and the overall structure, management information systems graduate student Girija Iyer said.
“The best part of the conference was that there were three female leaders in IT and other related industries and these leaders express their life journeys, their experiences and inspire women like me to prepare for a life like that in the coming years,” Iyer said.
Students arrive around 8:30 a.m. and breakfast is provided. Everyone is assigned different tables with different table numbers where they rotate tables. This allows everyone to engage with each other and network, Iyer said. Some activities include: speed networking, speed mixers, giveaways and interactive games. Two scholarships were also given out at the conference last year and each student was provided with gifts and prizes from the sponsors. The tables had professionals and sponsors to represent their companies and network with the students in attendance.
After her positive experience last year, she looks forward to attending this year as well, Iyer said.
Professionals at this conference also have the opportunity to learn about the variety of students in attendance and interact with students curious about the fields they represent. Some professionals have even attended in the past as a student and now are back to serve a different role, like General Motors representative Karly Quick.
“It has been beneficial for me to hear from other professionals and what they’re doing but also meet students and encourage them about their career,” Quick said. “Tech is so overwhelming with knowing what direction to go and I hope I can bring some peace to some of the women I talk to as I tell them about my experience and what General Motors has to offer.”
This conference allows students in attendance and professionals to connect over the technology industry and provides a direct avenue for mentorship and networking. It also brings students together and gives them the opportunity to start thinking about career aspirations and how to achieve them.
