WHO?
The ACM-W constitutes a global network of educational and professional organizations battling the gender gap between men, women, and non-binary people in the field of computing. Specifically, ACM-W is committed to fostering a sense of membership and self-reliance among young womxn and nonbinary folk in the tech industry (including information and engineering technology).
Battling Impostor Syndrome:
Based on a global survey of scientists (linked below), the ACM-W helps womxn and nonbinary people to overcome the following challenges:
- Women were more likely to report receiving lower salaries compared to their colleagues.
- Women were 1.6 times more likely than men to report interruptions in their graduate studies, a major factor impacting doctoral completion rates.
- Over 25% of women respondents across all the sciences reported personally having experienced sexual harassment at school or work.
Did You Know about the ACM-W’s Scholarship Program?
According to the same survey, women were less likely to report positive relationships with their doctoral advisors and a lower doctoral program quality. Therefore, the ACM-W is committed to promote a safe environment for women and nonbinary folk and support their journey through graduate school.
Other than providing the much-needed financial funding to sustain womxn’s education, the establishment of the ACM-W validates the need for womxn to trust, enhance, and exercise their competencies in the male-dominated field of technology.
How Can I Collaborate As a Member of the ACM-W at UPRM?
Anyone of any gender and any department can join ACM-W. There are many positions up for grabs, so much for those enthusiastic about the “techy” educational opportunities offered by ACM-W’s resources, as well as for those inclined to social media development and content creation.
The most important duty of an ACM-W member is to share their “inside scoops” on academic, professional, and self-development opportunities in the tech industry, helping other undergraduate students to find their own definition of success.
ACM-W at UPRM: Follow their Instagram! @ACMW.UPRM
Founded in October 2014, the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez campus is home to the first ACM-W Chapter in Puerto Rico. Challenged by the pandemic, however, ACM-W’s UPRM chapter is just now getting jump-started again.
FUN FACT! Karelys López, ACM-W-UPRM’s first president, is currently a Software Engineer at Google. She recently offered a resume workshop for the Chapter this last October.
Collaborating with other womxn-led student associations has been essential in cementing women and nonbinary folk’s voices in Puerto Rico.
On October 28th of 2023, the IEEE’s Women In Engineering (WIE) Student Branch at UPRM hosted their Student-Teacher and Research Engineer/Scientist (STAR) event.
The STAR program hosted ACM-W’s members Aliana Santiago, Sophia Ríos and Natalia Pérez, who spoke to high school students about the computing bachelor’s our Engineering Department has to offer. Additionally, they led a crash course on Scratch, an introductory-level coding program.
LEARN MORE about the STAR PROGRAM through WIE’s Instagram! @WIEUPRM
Indeed, the ACM-W’s work extends to their local communities:
Other than hosting activities on-campus, Frances M. Cabán Quiles, the UPRM Chapter’s current president, and Alondra G. Montalvo Siberón, their vice president, aspire to revamp Karelys López’s after-school teaching program.
Between 2014-2021, ACM-W would visit high schools to teach coding courses! During the interview, Alondra talked about how initiatives like this were key in guiding her on the journey of Software Engineering.
ACM-W at UPRM and NAGNOI:
In June of 2023, NAGNOI made a generous donation to the ACM-W at UPRM. NAGNOI is a Puerto Rican owned data-analysis company, working to optimize business operations in the Island. NAGNOI funds UPRM’s chapter membership to ACM-W, aiding UPRM’s participation in ACM-W’s internationally acclaimed conferences, internships, and scholarship programs. This exemplifies how, more than their donation, NAGNOI has solidified a strong partnership with ACM-W at UPRM, enriching the members’ experience and preparing them for a successful future in the field of technology.