OC High Schoolers Reach for the Cloud(s)

High school students from Orange County recently attended Google’s Women@IRV event to help them learn about careers in STEM and hear advice from those who have gone before them.

The event was facilitated by UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science (ICS). Vinh Luong, Assistant Director for the ICS Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion, reached out to this year’s Orange County Aspirations in Computing award winners to extend an invitation to the event.

“The students who attended this event were enthusiastic and engaged, having already demonstrated an interest in STEM,” he said. “They asked thoughtful questions and said they came away feeling inspired by the women they met.”

The event, which was hosted by Google at their Irvine office, kicked off with a short presentation by Amy Schendel, Senior Software Engineer, who shared her educational and career journey and provided valuable advice about making the most of all opportunities, even those that seem unrelated to your goals. She talked about the ubiquity of computers and the transferable skill set that a computing degree offers, making you equipped to work in almost any industry. She suggested joining national organizations such as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

After a short “networking bingo” exercise, there was a panel event featuring four women who shared their wealth of knowledge and experience on a range of topics, before responding to eager questions from the audience.

Panel members

Advice from the panel

• Aside from computing skills, it’s important to be creative and flexible, have good communication skills, and collaborate well with others.
• It’s also important to take feedback seriously but not personally, and to be confident and speak up when necessary, while learning from others.

“Impostor syndrome is real – remind yourself that even if you don’t see somebody who looks like you or dresses like you, you belong there.” – Alyssa

“Focus on enjoying the journey, not just the destination. Enjoy whatever stage of life you’re at, and balance that with working hard for the future.” – Shivana

“Find that project or that company or that team that makes you feel happy contributing to it – liking your job and feeling connected to the work gives you a sense of purpose. ” – Nandita

Student feedback

Jacquelyn Phan, a rising sophomore/junior/senior at Westminster High School, said, “Meeting and interacting with such accomplished professional women has not only broadened our understanding of the STEM field but also fueled our ambitions and aspirations. Everyone’s stories shared and the guidance provided has left a lasting impact on us, motivating us to pursue our goals with renewed enthusiasm and confidence.”