Women Who Code CONNECT 2016: Day 1 Recap – Hannah

March 20, 2016

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Women Who Code CONNECT 2016: Day 1 Recap – Hannah

10 Northeastern students from our ALIGN, Computer Science, and Bioinformatics graduate programs are attending Women Who Code’s Connect 2016 conference this weekend! From sessions on ‘Passing the Technical Interview’ to hands-on game development workshops,  CONNECT 2016 is a two-day conference designed to inspire women to excel in tech careers.

Check out the recap below from Day 1 of the conference.

Read Kaleigh’s recap here.
Read Danni’s recap here.
Learn more about all 10 students who are attending here.

Day 1 = Moved, Surprised, Educated & Excited

IMG_9126What a wonderful first day of the WWC 2016 conference! Something that…
Moved me: Applaud Her, where women get up on stage and share their accomplishments. The keynote speaker first asked how many women had a major accomplishment in the last six months. Most hands raised, slowly and with trepidation. She asked again, instructing us to be proud! Nearly every hand shot straight up with excitement. It was inspiring to witness!

Surprised me: The United States is one of two countries in the world without a paid leave program for new parents. Although I’m not a parent yet, this issue is close to my heart- I changed my career trajectory to Tech because I knew it would offer me a more flexible schedule for starting a family. I’m happy to see so many Tech companies making positive changes for families, but Americans have a steep hill to climb on this issue.

Educated me: If your code is readable and transparent, you don’t need comments! Lauren Cipicchio’s session on constructing readable algorithms walked the class through a real-life scenario where she had to clean up her code. She was an engaging speaker and highlighted the basics to write legible algorithms.

Excited me: There are so many women in Tech wanting to support other women in Tech! Throughout the day the concept of Imposter Syndrome sense was discussed. I hope everyone can walk away from today with a larger sense of belonging in the Tech industry.

Resonated with me: “Ask for what you want, not what you think you can get.” Rebekah Bastian shared her experiences about speaking up in the workplace. I usually consider myself pretty competent in this area as a confident, outspoken woman; but when Rebekah said that we should ask for what we WANT, it made me take a step back. I replayed all of the times I’ve asked for more money, a promotion, a better schedule… every time I’ve only asked for what I thought was attainable. So my homework tonight- decide what it is that I WANT- and go after it!

– Hannah Smithers, Alumna, MS Bioinformatics

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