Chandler-Gilbert Community College News
With a goal of introducing high school girls, primarily from across the East Valley, to the many career possibilities in the field of Information Technology (IT), the fourth annual Girls Get IT event takes place from 8:30 am to 1 pm, Nov. 4, 2022, at Scottsdale Community College. Geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor is the keynote speaker.
Through interactive workshops, led by community college instructors, attendees will learn about emerging technologies and the full range of educational programs and in-demand professional opportunities available in IT, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, web application design, object-oriented software development and more.
For example, participants will use Alice, an innovative, block-based programming environment, to design, code and debug an interactive, 3D fantasy world. In another workshop, attendees will learn about Balsamiq, an industry standard wireframing and mockup tool with a high focus on user experience (UX) and will walk away with an understanding of how web developers start the design and UX process of building a website.
In addition to high school participants, more than 50 professional women, including software engineers, web designers, program developers and data analysts, to name a few, will be on hand providing insight, through their own lived experiences and encouragement to those considering a path in IT. The IT professionals will also engage in community-building conversations to further strengthen the talent pipeline for women in the field long-term.
Current sponsors for the event are Nationwide Insurance and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
“Girls Get IT has become the premier annual event which showcases the many evolving areas of study and the professional women thriving in their information technology careers today,” said Diane M. Meza, Director of MITI-EV. “We want to inform all participants about the many exciting career possibilities available in IT and provide them with the next steps in their educational journey.”
Everyone is welcome to participate. For more information, to register, or for sponsorship opportunities, please visit Girls Get IT.
Girls Get IT is sponsored by Maricopa IT Institute-East Valley (MITI-EV), a collaboration among Mesa Community College, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Rio Salado College and Scottsdale Community College. The Institute provides career readiness for the IT sector, including courses to up-skill workers. MITI meets the emerging technological workforce’s demand for talent in areas of app development using Swift/Xcode, big data, cloud computing, mobile and wearable technology, and the Internet of Things.