The Harvard collegiettes involved with this month’s WECode conference were so impressive that we couldn’t interview just one–so we chatted with three! Without further ado, meet some of the amazing women behind WECode: JN Fang, Irene Chen, and Sarah Schachman.
Tell us a bit about yourselves: your House, your concentration, and what you like to do in your free time!
JN: I’m a sophomore in Quincy House studying Computer Science with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. I am a Snapchat addict, a Nutella connoisseur, and an avid fan of nap time and Suits. I aspire to be Iron Man and I don’t have free time.
Irene: Originally from Atlanta, I’m now a proud resident of Cabot House studying Applied Math. When I’m not running around Maxwell-Dworkin and Pierce Hall, you can probably find me playing Bananagrams, eating dark chocolate and–most recently–taking cardio kickboxing classes.
Sarah: Adams House, studying Computer Science with Mind/Body/Behavior. I’m from Montana and I love country swing dancing, picnics, and hiking! I am also obsessed with my German shepard puppy, Cato.
What are some extracurricular activities you’re involved with on campus?
JN: I am a part of Women in CS and Developers for Development. I also play Club Field Hockey, dance in Ghungroo and Expressions, and run with the Marathon Challenge and Harvard on the Move.
Irene: Currently, I’m an Eagle Peer Advising Fellow for Stoughton North, a Teaching Fellow for CS 124, a Cabot House Rep on the Senior Class Committee, and a volunteer at the Harvard Homeless Shelter. Like many Harvard students, I’ve joined and left my fair share of extracurriculars, but I really enjoy my current combination of service, teaching, and community building.
Sarah: I am the Director of Sisterhood for Delta Gamma (<3), and I am dancing in Ghungroo and Expressions. I am also planning to volunteer with Girls Who Code once it gets started up this semester!
What was your role in organizing and/or participating in the WECode conference?
JN: I founded the idea this past summer and took on the role of Chairperson. I formed the committee at the beginning of last semester and found a team of women who were all equally passionate and committed to the ideas of WECode. We worked together to find keynote speakers, plan sessions and workshops, and publicize the event.
Irene: Officially, I was the VP of Recruitment, which means I organized the Technical Interview and Resume Review Bootcamp. By soliciting volunteers from five of our sponsors and over ten Harvard seniors, I was able to help over 60 conference participants improve their technical interviewing skills. In an effort to make the bootcamp as interactive as possible, we had three simultaneous stations: individual mock interviews, resume review by experienced recruiters, and a central tech interview strategy session. By teaching girls about everything from hash tables to dynamic programming to communicating ideas clearly, I hope we were able to improve their confidence and chances of landing that coveted internship or job.
Unoffically, I helped run around during the conference and complete miscellaneous tasks–including herding women to the different rooms, deciding the optimal way to lay out the breakfast pastries, and reminding people to only take one of each swag item.
Sarah:I was the VP of Entertainment and Theme, so I coordinated a variety of things–specifically I catered breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both days and the mixer Saturday night; I created the playlist and ordered decorations; I planned the mentorship lunch (pairing attendees with women in tech fields); I also designed the shirts, posters, and created the program.
[JN and Irene at the conference!]
Why do you think it’s important for women to be interested in computer science? How did the event encourage a greater presence of women in this field (or similar fields)?
JN: I am not sure that it is “important for women to be interested in computer science” in this precise wording. I am of the basic belief that women should have the freedom to choose and pursue whatever interests them, whether it be CS or not. However, my vision for the conference was to mitigate a fear that prevents many women from choosing or pursuing CS: a lack of community. Because a variety of factors grounded in the nature of the technology field, it is difficult for women to find a support system in computer science. Here at Harvard, a liberal-arts school that decisively avoids a preperatory, technical curriculum, there is an even smaller pool of peers in the CS field, as opposed to MIT. Therefore, by encouraging women to interact with other likeminded women at WECode, through meet and greets, hands-on workshops, and a collaborative hackathon, we hope to show prospective women interested in CS that this field does contain a great community.
Irene: The research is overwhelmingly clear: women are not well-represented in computer science, from high school classes all the way to industry engineers and academic officials. In a field that is currently booming and shaping so much of how we interact with the world, this disparity is frustrating. One project I particularly appreciate documents the ratio of female engineers at various tech companies, and the numbers are appalling.
On a more personal level, I remember the first time I shopped a CS class and wondered if I belonged in that class, if it would be too hard for me, and whom I would ask for help if I ran into a bug at 2 A.M. One of the main reasons I chose to become so involved with WECode is to create a wider community across colleges and across age levels. We are stronger when we have the opportunity to meet other inspiring women, to hear their stories, and to feel less alone.
Sarah: Technology has become so fundamental in our lives that understanding the language behind it is incredibly valuable. Computer Science teaches you a new understanding of the world, and a new way to solve problems–skills that are incredibly applicable to any career. It’s not just sitting at a computer all day spewing out lines of code like a robot; it’s much more creative than that. It’s solving puzzles and making things elegant. We need to show women that this is NOT a man’s field; we need to dispel the stereotype of the nerdy male genius programmer so that women aren’t afraid to explore computer science and other typically male-dominated fields. It’s not going to happen instantaneously, but small steps (and big steps, like WECode) will help us change the ratio.
[Sarah tests out an amazing new piece of technology.]
What is the most meaningful thing you’ve taken away from your WECode experience?
JN: Keeping an open mind and letting myself be amazed. The speakers, presenters, teachers, and attendees were all amazing people and I am so grateful to have had the pleasure of hearing from so many of them!
Irene: Although the gap is huge right now, we can and will make progress. It can begin with keynote speeches, but meeting the right person and the right community can make a world of difference.
Sarah: The most meaningful idea I’ve taken away from this experience is how empowering it was to see over 400 women come together for the conference; we’re all in this together, and we know we can make a change. It was so inspiring to see it all come together!