Young Women in Computing: Expanding Into a Multifaceted Outreach Program

The Young Women in Computing (YWiC) program began in 2006 as part of the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation in Computing grant. According to the Department of Labor and Statistics women currently hold 56% of professional occupations in the United States workforce; yet only 27% of these positions are within Information Technology. YWiC focuses on sparking middle school and high school women’s interest in technology fields. Over the past six years, the program has established a successful and sustainable outreach program.

Due to YWiC’s large base in the community, local schools, and the New Mexico State Univeristy (NMSU) campus, the program has directly impacted a diverse group of young women. By enhancing interest in computing among student populations, YWiC hopes to ultimately create a pipeline into computer science undergraduate programs, particularly at NMSU. Since 2006, the program has broadened its approach and now has developed unique curriculum and opportunities for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students.

Building upon an initial five-week summer camp for high school females, the program has now become a multifaceted computer science community outreach program with a strong foundation in local school districts, as well as NMSU. During the 2010 - 2011 school year, YWiC reached and influenced 1,560 middle and high school participants. YWiC is an information and outreach portal, and will continue to connect organizations, individuals, universities, and industries both public and private, to further engage the students of NM.