For Shivanjali Singh, the impression was immediate: The ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference was unlike other computer science gatherings she’d attended. There were more people like herself.

As both a woman and an Indian American, Singh is accustomed to being in the minority in her undergraduate classes at Northeastern University’s College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS). But now she was at an event promoting diversity in computing, surrounded by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, and professionals from backgrounds underrepresented in the field. Academic institutions and companies committed to diversifying their ranks were also there, eager to meet students like Singh.

“It was amazing to see a lot of diversity,” says Singh, a Northeastern Presidential Scholar with a combined major in computer science and business, about the conference held in Boston in February. “It’s good to know companies are looking for diversity and interested in how it increases the overall morale of employees and contributes to developing more ideas.”

Dean Carla Brodley has attended the conference many times and knew it would be beneficial to CCIS students. That contributed to Northeastern becoming a platinum sponsor of the 2015 event and CCIS to use funds provided by 1989 alumnus Brian Wenzinger to enable five interested undergraduates to attend. Brodley says, “This is the diversity conference in computer science. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to hear good talks, network, meet other students, and see people who look just like them. It’s also an opportunity for us to recruit for our graduate programs and faculty.”

Singh, a third-year student who has already completed a co-op as an application developer for Goldman Sachs, interviewed with potential employers at the conference. She also went to networking events and learned about new technology tools. Singh says, “It was an opportunity to understand what companies are looking for and to become a better programmer and engineer. I got cards from a lot of people, and a Google representative reviewed my resume.”

Tabitha Kadima, another third-year student, was well aware that the conference would be valuable. She had attended the previous year in Seattle and wanted to go again, especially with it taking place near the Northeastern campus.

“I’d liked the networking opportunities and felt it would be even more beneficial now that I had more experience,” says Kadima, who had completed a software engineering co-op at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research since she’d first attended the Tapia conference. “People from the last conference recognized me and remembered me, including recruiting officers from companies like IBM. That made conversations easier, and they were able to introduce me to other recruiting officers. I ended up getting a few interviews afterward. If I get the chance, I’d definitely go again.”

Growing up in Andover, Massachusetts, Kadima was so accustomed to being in the minority in any group that she gave the lack of diversity little thought. Still, she describes the Tapia conference as “refreshing” and says, “It helped me recognize and appreciate the diversity in computing.”

For Sai Sujitha Venkatesan, this was the first computing conference she’d ever attended. A first-year student from Singapore who came to CCIS with minimal computing experience, she hopes to work in cyber operations after graduation. At the Tapia conference, Venkatesan was able to get an introduction to cybersecurity as well as other areas of computing such as Big Data and robotics.

Venkatasen came away from the conference with resume-writing tips and an immediate goal: to establish a student chapter of the ACM-W (Association of Computing Machinery Committee on Women in Computing) at CCIS. Already a member of the CCIS Women in Technology Club, she says of her plans, “It will mean more opportunities and more speakers here, and it will help us get to know more people in the field. Many women in computing have an imposter syndrome that we have to overcome. I’m learning that no one is born into computer science and that you can learn to do it.”

At CCIS, the increasing number of women in the overall student population reinforces that message. Brodley believes women will become one-third of CCIS undergraduates within the year—the percentage she says is critical to creating a sense of belonging in computing. She also wants to see more students from other groups underrepresented in computing choose to enter the field.

“We’re working hard to change perceptions and create a conducive atmosphere,” says Brodley, noting the college welcomes students with and without a background in computer science.

– As seen in the March 2015 E-Newsletter –