The College of Technology’s Women in Technology (WIT) student organization got a little bit of help in their efforts to recruit and retain the next generation of female leaders in technology, thanks to a $750 grant from the National Center for Women & Information Technology.
WIT was awarded the 2013 Student Seed Fund grant, sponsored through a partnership between NCWIT Academic Alliance and Symantec, for their WITty Sisters mentoring program.
WITty Sisters pairs a first-year student with an upperclassman in her major. They meet bi-monthly to discuss classes, coursework, jobs, internships, interviewing and more. Now in its third year, the program has also created lasting friendships among the mentoring pairs, even past graduation.
This most recent grant will help pay for outings for the mentoring pairs to encourage them to get to know each other better outside of campus life.
"Having an upperclassman help guide a freshman through her first year has helped us retain females in the technology programs," said Rachel Kennedy, WIT president. "The first-year students have someone to look up to who was in their shoes not too long ago. The female mentees are also excelling in their classes due to the help and guidance from their mentors."
The NCWIT Student Seed Fund is awarded annually to student-run programs and initiatives that promote NCWIT’s mission to increase participation of women in computing and IT programs.
Read the Spring 2012 Innovation story about WITty Sisters and other College of Technology mentoring programs.
(Photo: Dekiyra Love was a mentor to Alisha Garcia during 2011-12. Both are in the professional flight program in the College of Technology at Purdue University.)