Year: Senior
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Sutton, Massachusetts
President of IC Women in Computing
Her Campus Ithaca College: Describe your role in IC Women in Computing?
Nicole Lane: I’m the president of ICWC, so, with the help of our other officers, I organize events (Skype meetings with women in technology, trips to Hackathons or places like Google, workshops, etc.), recruit new members, speak in classrooms to raise awareness and plan our meetings. This is my first year as president, and I’m finding out now that there are lots of things that go on behind the scenes to keep a club up, running and interesting; I take care of a lot of those things too. They’re not super fun (like going to Google), but they are rewarding nonetheless.
HCIC: What do you do in a typical ICWC meeting?
NL: ICWC is a fairly new club, so we are still searching for the ideal ‘typical’ meeting. We always have something going on—on any given Wednesday night you could find us doing anything from having a Skype call with a head game designer at a game company to teaching complex software like Git. We spend a lot of time giving each other support socially, reminding our members that they are capable and talented computer scientists and practicing interview questions (because interviews get less scary the more you do them, believe it or not!). Also, we listen to Beyonce.
HCIC: What is most rewarding about being in this organization?
NL: For me, the most rewarding thing is watching the growth of our members and the incredible friendships that blossom between them. It is a place where women support each other, be it in the computer science/tech field or not, and it is truly beautiful to sit back and take it all in.
HCIC: What’s your favorite song of 2016 (so far)?
NL: I’m stuck somewhere between “Divide and Conquer” by What So Not and “Juke Jam” by Chance the Rapper. Or maybe “Closer” by the Chainsmokers because that song could make anybody dance like a goof.
HCIC: Did you have a favorite children’s book as a kid?
NL: Harry Potter. I’m still waiting for my letter that says I’ve been invited to Hogwarts.
HCIC: If you could have one exotic pet, what would it be?
NL: How many cats do you have to own before it’s considered exotic?