Grace Hopper Celebration 2014
During Week One, seventeen female students were sponsored by the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Science to attend the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Phoenix, Arizona. This three-day event from October 8-10th featured keynotes from several influential women in tech and offered useful workshops ranging from technical talks to panels on wearable technology to professional advice on communicating and working in industry. Over 8000 attendees came to this annual event, making this the largest gathering of women in computing.
One of the best parts about the Grace Hopper Conference is the career fair. Attendees get a chance to network with representatives from big tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo, and other smaller companies. Every company was offering full-time jobs or internship opportunities, which is a great way for students to get into industry. Some people were even able to interview at the career fair. In addition to networking, attendees were able to collect swag, which including stuff like shirts, chargers, earphones, stickers, and other electronic gadgets. Snacks were provided throughout the day. There were also cool giveaways and raffles where attendees could win video games, iPads, and even an Xbox One! One of our members, Nikita Thakore, won an iPad mini!
At night, there were dances and parties where the attendees can socialize and network with other women. Dessert and other appetizers were provided. It was fun and definitely a highlight of the trip.
From talking to company representatives and other women in computing to listening to presentations to going to parties, the Grace Hopper Conference is an unforgettable event that every woman in tech should attend.
Next year, WICS will be sponsoring members to go to the Grace Hopper Celebration, which will be held in Houston, Texas. Join the committee for a higher chance to attend!