When Weinberg senior Anoushka Kapur took her first computer science class at Northwestern, she said she couldn’t spot another woman in her line of sight.
While there were other women in the class, Kapur said she noticed their tendency to sit in the back of class and even drop out, at higher rates than men.
It wasn’t until she joined Women in Computing her freshman year that she found a network of support she could rely on — specifically a network of women and nonbinary people with similar career interests.
Now, Kapur serves as the external president of Women in Computing for the 2024-2025 school year.
“It’s really important for us to remind girls who are coming in to see us at Northwestern that there is very much a space for you at the table,” Kapur said. “This is a place that you belong in.”
Much of the club’s programming caters towards pre-professional goals, Kapur said. Programming includes LeetCode study sessions, which help students interested in software engineering prepare for technical interviews; events and information sessions with corporate sponsors such as Google; resume and cover letter reviews to help students land internships; and alumni panels to give students insight into the industry.
Weinberg senior Sara Bouftas, one of Women in Computing’s programming co-chairs, is responsible for organizing these events. Typically, they are planned two weeks to one month in advance, she said.
One of Bouftas’ goals is to increase students’ exposure to resources, such as The Garage and Northwestern Career Advancement advisors, that have been especially impactful during her time at NU.
“I learned that there’s a lot more resources that Northwestern provides that we just need to hear about those resources in order to recognize they’re there if we want to use them to further our career,” Bouftas said.
Women in Computing plans programming with those outside the NU community as well, McCormick sophomore Anika Jaitley said. As the club’s community outreach chair, Jaitley said she coordinates with Illinois high schools and computing organizations to organize collaborative events.
“It’s really an informative process where if there are female students or nonbinary students out there who are interested in the field, trying to get that information to them so that they might be better equipped to pursue that field in the future, or be more inclined to, which is a really cool thing,” Jaitley said.
In the past, the club has done panels at schools, including Winnetka’s New Trier High School, during which members of Women in Computing spoke about their college and professional experience with computing and guided attendees through a hands-on coding activity.
Members of Women in Computing also attend the annual Grace Hopper Celebration, which is the largest tech conference for women and nonbinary people. Last year, it took place in Philadelphia, according to its website.
The conference provides students with opportunities to attend panels of women in technology, network with recruiters and grow closer to each other, Kapur said.
“It just was really special coming back after a whole day at the conference, and then just talking to each other, sharing notes, sharing contacts,” Kapur said. “It was really just a testament to how incredible women can be when it comes to supporting each other in such atmospheres, which was honestly my biggest takeaway.”
Whether at a celebration in Philadelphia or an alumni panel on NU’s Evanston campus, Women in Computing offers unique opportunities for women and nonbinary students in a male-dominated field, Jaitley said.
“Having a space that’s just for us, or really promotes putting ourselves out there, I think is really helpful,” Jaitley said. “You kind of see everyone around you doing it as well, and you’re like, ‘Oh, if they can do it, I can totally do it.’”
Email: laurahorne2027@u.northwestern.edu
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