Women in Technology, one of KSU’s clubs, held its first general meeting on Monday, Sept. 14 in the Burriss Building in Room 472. Faculty adviser Sherri Shade, as well as other faculty from the Information Systems and Information Security departments, were in attendance to show their support and involvement. The first meeting introduced the members to one another and set the agenda for the year.
Women in Technology is a group not just for women who are currently studying in the fields of technology, but is open to all students of all genders who are interested in learning more about the growing role of women who work in technology and their experiences.
The purpose of the group is to provide support, friendship, mentorship, guidance, and awareness about women in technological occupations. Being a part of the group helps women to find out if STEM is the career they are looking for. Some stigmas certainly remain for some who might feel that they might have difficulties in the field. The group hopes to not only provide a sense of strength but also of showing others that learning programming, mathematics, science, and other computer related knowledge is accessible and not as mysterious as it might seem.
“If you are interested in the STEM majors at KSU, we are the right group for you! We have guest speakers (women in the work field) who talk about some of the issues and concerns that happen while working as well as talk about the amazing jobs they have!” club president Yasmin Mohamad said. “The group is specialized to help women grow and meet other women doing the same as themselves, therefore we help mentor each other and advise each other.”
The group hopes to go to a high school this year and speak to girls in their senior year. “It would be nice to collaborate and let the students know what they will be experiencing when they begin college,” one WIT member said.
“We want to become familiar with a lot of different type of jobs that are out there,” Mohamad said. Shade said that the group has worked with Career Builders before and hopes to go through them again for possible ‘mentor days’. “We also work with WIT Atlanta, which is a separate group from the KSU club, and have gone to some of their meetings.”
There are also opportunities for leadership within the group, as some of the members will be graduating next year. “We’re looking for sophomores and juniors to take over leadership. We would love to have more members from diverse backgrounds to enhance the experience.” Mohamad said. As it stands, the current members are from programs such as Information Systems, Information Technology, English, Psychology, and Information Security.
WIT can be found on Facebook (WITatKSU), Instagram (WITatKSU), and through a search in OWL Life. For further information, contact Yasmin Mohamad at yasminmohamed12@gmail.com.
Women in Technology meets every other Monday in room 472 of the Burriss building from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m this semester.
