WiCS Orientation

Thank you to everyone who attended WiCS Orientation 2024!

Below you will find a link to all the presentations. Photos from the event coming soon.

WiCS Orientation 2024 Description:

WiCS wants to celebrate you! We believe that having an inclusive learning and working environment in the School of Computer Science is the key to success. We want to help foster this environment by making this a fantastic first-year orientation. Celebrate with us on September 7th by connecting with other women and gender diverse (including transgender, non-binary, and gender fluid) first-year CS, SE, CFM, and CSBBA students, listening to talks from current undergraduates, and enjoying swag and food!!

This year's orientation will include:

Networking (meet the people in your program!)
Mentoring (navigating first year, study-life balance, academic advice, clubs and societies)
Technical Resources (part technical (succeeding in co-op, navigating student portals, tools for time management)
Food (afternoon snack and dinner)

What is WiCS Orientation?

WiCS Orientation is a welcome event for first-year students to learn how to improve their university experience.

As as women and gender diverse individuals in tech, it is especially important to have a network of technical peers whose experiences are like one’s own, who have similar interests and goals, and with whom one can vent frustrations and celebrate successes.

Get ready to kick-start your journey in Computer Science with our upcoming WICS Orientation! This is more than just an event - it’s an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow.

Connect with like-minded peers and gain insights from upper-year students. Our event is a platform for you to start building your network within the CS community from day one.

Learn from the personal stories and experiences shared by our speakers. They’ll provide you with inspirational and relevant insights that could guide you through your own CS journey.

Grow by absorbing the wealth of information available. From the “how-to’s” of co-op and clubs to other essential topics, we’ve got you covered.

And let’s not forget - there will be great food in a welcoming environment.

WiCS Orientation 2024 Presentations

Time (EDT)	Topic & Presentation Slides	Speaker
2:00 PM	Registration
2:30 PM	Introduction to WiCS	Joanne Atlee -Director of WiCS, Professor of Computer Science / Software Engineering
2:50 PM	Planning your School Term with Notion	Claudia McComb - 3rd-year Computer Science
3:00 PM	Networking (and How to Have a Coffee Chat)	Madeline Pinto - 3rd-year Computer Science
3:10 PM	First Year Experience	Nayantara Gummalla - 2nd-year Computer Science
3:20 PM	Imposter Syndrome	Priyadarshini Saha - 4th-year Computer Science
3:30 PM	Navigating Academic Advising and Support Services	Navya Gulati - 2nd-year Computer Science
3:45 PM	Q&A
3:55 PM	SNACK BREAK
4:30 PM	Getting your First-Co-op Placement	Hannah Du - 2nd-year Computer Science
4:40 PM	How to Have a Successful Co-op Term	Khloe Ramdhan - 4th-year CS/BBA student
4:50 PM	Co-op Q&A
5:00 PM	Defining your own Journey through University (Mental Health)	Grace Feng - 5th-year Computer Science
5:15 PM	How to Start on New Projects (e.g., Side Projects, Going to the Gym)	Jane Zeng - 2nd-year Software Engineering
5:25 PM	Getting Involved in Extracurriculars	Siimar Leen Kaur - 2nd-year Computer Science
5:35 PM	WiCS Undergraduate Committee - what we do, what resources are available to the students, getting involved with WiCS	Shriya Kaistha - 3rd-year Computer Science Jemima Vijaysenana - 4th-year Computer Science / Business
5:45 PM	Q&A
6:00	DINNER + Panel on What I Wish I Knew In First Year