EAST LANSING ?Earlier this month, the Michigan State University Women in Computing group gathered in a campus classroom for a different type of learning session – a panel of respected women with careers in technology who provided insight on what it takes to create a successful IT career.
The session, sponsored by the Michigan Council for Women in Technology, was well coordinated by Shannon Moore who works full time with Recruitment Management Consultants and also serves as the mid-MI University Committee Co-Lead for MCWT. The theme was A Women?s Career in Technology, which allowed each panelist to share their career background and insight into their own journey as a women in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math field. Each also addressed different questions from the young women, providing more personal insight.
The panel included a mix of speakers from the State of Michigan, as well as Michigan Millers Insurance Company and Cisco. The panel even included a female entrepreneur, Jillian Winn, who shared what it is like to take passion and an MSU education outside of a traditional career path with Signing Savvy. Deb Roundtree, who hires often, gave tips for the interviewing process, while Becky Rick-Watson was able to describe how she developed her in-depth technical career path for the State.
One of the advisors to the WIC group, Teresa Vandersloot, also helped frame the topics with common themes she sees for women in STEM fields. She was the founding advisor of the WIC group and now serves as the Director of Women in Engineering, Recruitment, and Outreach for MSU. Her work with both MSU and the local IT Empowerment Center allows her to impact truly to the community with a quest to bring more women into Engineering fields. She provoked thought-provoking conversation on how to develop confidence and break the ice at networking events.
It is leaders like Vandersloot as well as the panel of MCWT volunteers, who are giving back by helping the next generations of women become successful in STEM. They set a great example for these young women to blaze their own trails based on their passion and skills they are gaining as college students. This interactive event was yet another way the MCWT group, and all those involved, are providing more tools for young women to be successful in a STEM fields.
Associate Editor Nicole Johnson leads MITechNews.Com?s efforts to foster STEM education, as well as provides coverage for her fellow women in computing. If you have a story idea for Nicole, email [email protected]
