Northwestern’s chapter of the national nonprofit organization ColorStack provides community resources and mentorship for Black and Latinx students studying computer science at NU.
“(ColorStack) is definitely my favorite involvement,” McCormick sophomore and ColorStack co-President Isabella Socci said. “It gives me the opportunity to give back to people I’ve become friends with.”
Members can connect with professionals by attending conferences and speaker events with various companies, Socci said.
Socci attended a national ColorStack conference where she networked with industry professionals and received interview preparation resources, such as a subscription to AlgoExpert, a platform that teaches technical interview skills.
Weinberg sophomore Esohe Osaghae, ColorStack’s secretary, also attended the conference. She said she grew closer to other members at the Tapia Conference, an event that brings people from various backgrounds interested in computing together.
“The community is already so important toward advancing Black and Latinx students’ success in the tech industry,” Osaghae said. “I feel like making strong connections outside of the industry and outside of school is also important to maintain relationships.”
Osaghae said she finds the most rewarding part of her role is creating a space where people find a sense of belonging in their field and feel comfortable asking questions. She also said she enjoys being in a position where people can look up to her for guidance.
Weinberg senior Mahmood Sadeghi, co-president of ColorStack, added that there are not many Latinx and Black computer science students at NU, so it can be hard to find community in those spaces. He said that the campus chapter allows these students to “advance one another” and provide guidance to those joining the organization for the first time.
In addition to conferences, Sadeghi said a core aspect of ColorStack is its national Slack community, where students share advice, collaborate on coding and connect on personal interests.
Sadeghi noted that ColorStack aims to eliminate financial barriers for members of their community. He said they receive funding for their students and offer the members scholarships for attending conferences or events.
“I really like just having space for people to come, whether they want to or not, to just talk about things or gain access to things that they maybe can’t afford or resources that they might not know about because they’re kind of underground,” Sadeghi said.
Socci said the organization is planning a virtual event with universities like Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Kennesaw State University, and they hope to host hackathons to help students build project skills.
Sadeghi added that they are working on initiatives to support first-generation and low-income students by creating peer-guided study groups and securing funding for conferences like AfroTech, which provides broader exposure to the tech community.
“Seeing our friends gain access to things that I know will help them and seeing them secure offers or improve their performance is the most rewarding part for me,” Sadeghi said, “because I know that bringing ColorStack to Northwestern has actually had an impact.”
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