Commemorated on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day honours the achievements of women all around the world. It’s a significant day for ladies to not only showcase their unity in celebrating their progress in different fields, but also to reflect on the journey of those who have come before them. We are hence reminded of our quest to achieve gender equality, in the midst of battling the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme, #ChooseToChallenge, encourages people to challenge gender bias and create an inclusive world.
NTUSU believes in this goal. Gender equality aligns with the Empowerment pillar of the Union Vision and we support projects that shape the University’s social environment into a safe space for students to learn, grow and excel in their own areas. Today, in the spirit of International Women’s Day, we present a special feature on Women in Tech @ NTU (WIT) – a campus initiative that empowers female undergraduates.
Embodying the values of International Women’s Day, they are more than just a student-led tech club. WiT is a supportive community where women are free to come up with new initiatives in the technology industry commonly dominated by males. With this platform, WiT aims to empower the next generation of female tech leaders through a series of events that includes the following: speaker series, workshops, mentoring and networking sessions. These events provide support for women pursuing a career in the tech industry.
Women In Tech @ NTU
WIT hopes to show the world that the future can be bright for women pursuing tech. As the newest addition to the Events Committee under NTU Open Source Society, WIT is the first female-centric committee created for students who are passionate about technology and peers who wish to enter the technological sphere irrespective of the major they are pursuing.
WIT was first established in 2019 by the collective efforts of female student leaders in NTU who envisioned the need to create strong community bonds within the female student community. The idea stemmed from the belief that gender diversity is key to a vibrant environment for technological development.
Delphine Lee and Surabhi Malani are the co-founders who started the WiT journey. Witnessing the lack of exposure and opportunities for NTU female undergraduates in the STEM fields, they decided that they had to rectify this. They hoped to create a one-stop platform that improves NTU female undergraduates’ awareness of Development and Implementation opportunities.
This goal is made possible by the passionate members of the team. Each member takes on a personal project and WiT becomes their supporting platform in their journey of personal growth and branding.
What are some WIT activities that students can look forward to?
SheShares
SheShares is a series of sessions where female tech professionals share their domain expertise with participants. These biweekly two hour sessions offer ways to network with professionals and learn from their journey. WIT has held 6 SheShares sessions so far and you can expect more in the future! Topics ranged from product management with Rakuten Asia to functional programming with Paypal.
LinkedIn Alumni Network
In the coming months, WIT@NTU will be officially launching their LinkedIn Alumni Network. This community not only aims to provide mentorship and job opportunities for female students and alumni, but also to foster a spirit of collaboration. WIT hopes that through the LinkedIn Alumni Network, WiT@NTU will grow to become a more focused, personalized, and engaged group of young women, who will pay it forward to empower others too.
Humans of WIT
Curious to understand the stories of women pursuing tech? The new ‘Humans of WIT’ series on their Instagram and LinkedIn features members from the team and the student body. As such, If you love tech and want to be featured, click here.
To learn more about WIT, check out their social media channels listed below.
Mailing List: https://groups.google.com/g/ntuwitech
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ntu_witech
Telegram: https://t.me/ntu_women_in_tech
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/ntuwitech/home
You may also reach out to them at ntuwitech@gmail.com
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