Katie Yeh
What did you do for WICS? (events, new ideas, etc)
I was part of WICS for the four years I was at UC Irvine. I first joined as a committee member as a freshman, my junior year I decided to run for External Vice President and then President for my senior year. It was great because I was part of the marketing committee my first two years so as External VP it was helpful to plan events with companies and then work with the marketing committee to get all the information out to our members.
Why do you think WICS is helpful?
WICS was a big part of my college experience and it was helpful in connecting me with other people who had the same interests. I was able to get valuable advice from existing members of WICS and they became some of my closest friends, who I still keep in touch with even after college. WICS holds many useful workshops and info sessions, such as networking workshops or resume workshops and sometimes they are partnered with companies so students can get direct tips and feedback from someone in the industry.
I think all of our events were a huge success and it’s so hard to just choose one, ranging from our weekly meetings to allowing 30 students to attend Grace Hopper to holding our own CWIC conference. I think they all were successful in their own way. A study session can seem so minuscule but to some it was a great way to find peers in the same class that they have never met before. Grace Hopper, I can’t even describe how wonderful that opportunity is and how fortunate WICS is to receive the grant to allow so many students to attend. Then, there’s CWIC, where my co-president, Ericca Go, and I decided to host the biannual conference at UC Irvine. We had, I believe, about 150 attendees and it was a great turnout. It was a way for us to bring a mini version of Grace Hopper to local schools to support and inspire everyone around.
What do you do now? What are some achievements you’d like to share?
Currently, I am a software engineer at Intuit working on TurboTax Live. While at Intuit, I’m glad to say that I am still part of helping the community by hosting monthly meetups for Women of San Diego JavaScript and joined the Intuit UCSD mentorship program, where I now mentor 3 female UCSD students.
Do you have any words of wisdom to share to females in STEM?
If you ever have any doubt if this is the right field for you, I want to tell you yes it is and you can do it. Don’t let other people get you down and don’t be afraid to reach out for mentors.