"I was extremely impressed with the way the Girls in Technology Summit turned the switch for so many girls. Like a great coach gets a team pumped up before a game, the individuals involved with this event really got the girls ‘fired up’. This summit was successful in increasing the students’ awareness of, and excitement about, options available for training and careers in technology. I have already gotten a number of new enrollment requests for our IT program. "
Doug Wright
Chantilly Academy Administrator & Principal
Date: Friday, November 12th, 2004
Location: Cisco Offices, Herndon, VA
Goal: To introduce female high school students to IT careers & the Cisco Networking Academy Program
Agenda:
9:30-9:45
Registration
10:00-10:30
General Session Welcome: Video, “I am an Engineer” (6 min) Keynote (15 min):
10:30-11:30
Workshop Activities: Real World solutions activities
Do you ever wonder what Information Technology (IT) professionals actually do? Working in small teams with a 1 or 2 IT mentors, the students will devise technology solutions to real world problems. The activity is set up that students are a group of global technology consultants. Their mission is to find technology solutions to help solve the societal problem/challenge. These are real examples of technology challenges, where most involve Cisco’s equipment and networking technology. The medical, retail and hospitality missions are from case studies produced by the US Sales team. We have the permission of the companies to use these examples.
10:30-11:30
Instructor Breakout: Session Strategies for recruiting girls in IT classes.
The session will focus on females’ career decision choices & how it relates to IT, trends in the local IT job market, and strategies for successful recruitment and retention of females in HS IT classes.
11:30-12:15pm
Lunch Discussions with IT Professionals.
Students will have lunch in small groups with various IT professionals to discuss careers in IT
12:15-12:45
Discussion Panel and Q & A
IT Professionals and College Students
1:00 p.m.
Depart for School
Number of Students: 92 students: 76/Chantilly, 5/Edison, 11/Charles County CTC
Number of School Administrators: 17 instructors & counselors
Invites: All sophomore & junior females with a GPA of 3.0+
Number of Volunteers: 35, including 22 from Cisco
Number of Cisco Volunteer Hours: 175
Co-Sponsor: Co-sponsored by WAN
Partners: 5 volunteers. from WIT, others from HP, Cogent, VA Tech, American University, Nat'l Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, and FCPS
