Olivia Figueira, President of the WiCyS student chapter at UCI, was invited to speak on a panel at the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Awards Ceremony on April 20, 2024, hosted by the UC Irvine ICS Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion (OAI). This event celebrated over 100 Orange County high school students who have been awarded Aspirations in Computing awards for their achievements and aspirations in computing. The goal of the NCWIT AiC program is to connect 9th-12th grade students, who identify as a woman, non-binary, or gender-queer, with the resources, community, encouragement, and guidance to pursue computing academically and professionally. Olivia spoke on a panel to share her story, highlight her research, share challenges she has faced and overcame in computer science, and to offer these students guidance and encouragement. She also participated in the event’s networking session where she met with awardees interested in cybersecurity and the WiCyS organization. Thank you to NCWIT AiC and ICS OAI for inviting us to participate in this event!
Check out the article from UCI ICS about the event and the panelists here!
