They wished for more of them. And thus, WISH was born.
Women Involved in Software and Hardware, or WISH for short, is a club on campus that provides a community and support group for women in computing majors at Cal Poly. The club offers an array of social outings, industry tech talks and opportunities for mentorship and community outreach.
Examples of events include scavenger hunts, holiday parties, an end-of-the-year BBQ held at Professor Julie Workman’s house, inviting female tech leaders to speak, PASS parties to help each other plan upcoming classes and volunteering at Pacheco Elementary School’s Code Club.
The club was originally founded in 2007 by female Computer Science students who wanted to form a community for women in the major, as well as work towards rectifying the gender gap in tech. “WISH sprang from a grassroots process where a few female computing majors came to talk with me about their desire to create a club to foster community among women studying computing,” explains Zoe Wood, the club’s co-advisor and a professor in the Computer Science Department. “I became the advisor because I was a mentor to the students and very much supported the idea of the club.”
This year, WISH approaches its tenth anniversary. Ten years is a big deal, but that’s not the only thing the club is celebrating.
WISH has grown tremendously
In the very beginning, the club started with four officers and averaged three to ten people attending their club events. “Now, at the first meeting this year, we had so many people that there weren’t enough seats in the 100-person room,” says Cara Pew, WISH club president and fourth year Computer Science student. “Like 30 people didn’t have seats. I almost cried of excitement.”
Creating a supportive community for female computing students
Pew first heard about the club when she received an email about it the summer before her first year at Cal Poly. She figured it would be a good way to put herself out there and that it did not have to be a big commitment. It turns out, her mentor ended up being the club president and she consequently also became very involved, seeing everything that WISH had to offer.
Like many other students who end up joining the club, Pew found herself a family within the club. “My favorite thing about WISH is the friends I have made through it. I always know women in my classes because of it, and I feel inspired and confident in computer science because of the amazing women that are in it with me,” says Pew. She also accredits the support she received from other WISH women to her staying in the major.
WISH members are also inspired by one another through the close friendships that are formed. “Being a part of WISH has given me the confidence to take risks and chances in pursuing a career that I don’t think I would’ve done otherwise,” says Shefali Saboo, a fourth year Computer Science student who also serves as the WISH Mentorship Director. “WISH has brought me some of my best friends and introduced me to some of my idols and my the most influential women in this field,” Saboo explained. Like Pew, she has stayed in computer science because of WISH. “WISH is the reason I’m still a computer science major today so I would say WISH has been everything for me these last couple of years.”
The percentage of female students in computing majors has increased
According to Wood, there were only 9% female students in the entering class and even less in the upper division classes when WISH was founded in 2007. This percentage has since increased to 25%. “This is huge and is in a large part due to the amazing programs and community that WISH has enabled. In particular, community events, the mentoring program, outreach activities, PASS parties, panels and tech talks have helped transform the computer science community,” says Wood.
Community outreach initiatives
One of the club’s accomplishments is in its efforts giving back to the community. Last spring, WISH was awarded a NCWIT Seed Funding Award to host Expanding Engineering: a day-long event hosted at Cal Poly to engage high school students in computer science through interactive workshops in robotics, computational art, web development, mobile development and security.
Wood describes, “I remember walking around on the day of the event, watching students from WISH run the labs and seeing the bright excited faces of the high school students and just being amazed at the opportunity for learning that WISH had created.”
The end result was being able to successfully introduce computer science to over 100 high school students from 11 different schools throughout California’s Central Coast. Of these students, 50% of students identified as women, 70% of students were part of free lunch programs and 40% of students would be first-generation college students.
In a field like computing, events like Expanding Engineering that promote diversity within tech are important. “At the moment, it is an issue that many minorities don’t find out about computer science until later in their life or don’t see themselves as people who can code because of the lack of representation of people similar to them in tech,” says Nupur Garg, a graduate student in Computer Science who organized Expanding Engineering. “Showing them that it is something that they can be interested in is incredibly important for bringing new and diverse perspectives into tech.”
Because of the many jobs available within computer science, going into this field provides opportunities for people to rise above their socioeconomic barriers. “Giving people who come from underrepresented communities the tools to succeed in computer science – particularly those who are socioeconomically underprivileged – is an incredibly empowering thing,” says Garg. “It not only helps those individuals and their families but hopefully helps communities as people can go back to their communities and give back what they have learned.”
Progress is being made
There is still a long way to go in terms of diversity and inclusivity within the computing field, but Wood believes that WISH has taken steps towards the right direction. Wood explains, “The atmosphere in computing is still very challenging for underrepresented groups, but I do feel like there is a real shift in awareness in the general students’ culture and faculty awareness that leaves me hopeful.”
As WISH celebrates its ten year anniversary, it continues to build upon an incredible legacy, leaving people like Wood to feel hopeful – or perhaps – wishful.
All photos provided by Eva Chen