Scholarship

G G C

Marium Zafar

Sandy Ali omen in information technology (IT) careers in the U.S. remain a minority. GGC's IT faculty ensure that female IT majors have the support they need to succeed. They are encouraged to enhance their skills by participating in IT competitions, service learning, student and professional organizations, research and more.

THREE GGC STUDENTS RECEIVE WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIPS

Three female information technology (IT) majors earned scholarships from Women in Technology (WIT), an Atlanta-based nonprofit created to empower girls and women to excel in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM) from the classroom to the boardroom. Sponsored by major Atlanta tech companies, the scholarships recognize academic performance, service and leadership. Of 40 applicants from across Georgia, three of the six winners were GGC IT majors. Marium Zafar, Sandy Ali and Le Quang Greatzel Unabia received scholarships of $5,000, $5,000 and $12,500, respectively. Unabia, a senior studying psychology and IT, said she was introduced to WIT@GGC, a registered student organization, when she had decided to quit the IT program. “WIT@GGC invited me to their coding boot camp, where I met women who were already working in the tech industry, and meeting them made me realize that I didn’t have to quit,” said Unabia. “It was also in that boot camp where concepts I didn’t understand the semester before started to make sense. I seriously realized that I had an opportunity, and even if I was bad at coding, I could change and become better through effort.” Now WIT@GGC vice president, Unabia said the connections she’s made with other women in IT are essential to her college journey. The support she found in WIT@GGC gave her the motivation to capitalize on opportunities, both on and off the GGC campus, which led to earning her a WIT scholarship. Ali, a 2020 graduate, said WIT has made a significant impact on her life. “We all are going through a lot of challenging times, and I can’t be thankful enough to have this amazing organization awarding scholarships to students like me and all the winners,” Ali said. Zafar said she never would have applied had it not been for her fellow WIT@GGC officers and mentors.

“I am thankful to WIT@GGC for creating this scholarship opportunity to support women in STEAM,” said Zafar. “I intend to utilize this opportunity to complete my bachelor’s by May 2021 and give back to my GGC community. I hope my experience will inspire other women to apply for the scholarship next year.” Over the years, the WIT Foundation has also provided grants to support GGC’s WIT Bootcamp program.

DEKHANE NAMED WOMAN OF THE YEAR FOR STEAM EDUCATION

Dr. Sonal Dekhane was named Woman of the Year in STEAM Education by the Women in Technology (WIT) organization. This award celebrates women in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) careers for their leadership, vision and accomplishments in business, education and the community. A native of India, Dekhane studied electronics engineering at the University of Mumbai. As a sophomore, she enrolled in a programming course – and something clicked. “It was just so logical and intuitive to me,” Dekhane said. “I completely enjoyed learning programming and realized that’s what I wanted to do.”

Dekhane later moved to the U.S. to earn her master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science. She joined GGC in August 2007. Having seen the preponderance of men in the STEAM fields, Dekhane vowed to break the stereotype. “Technology is for everyone,” she said. “If we are to create technology that works for all of us, then its development teams need representation from all of us, including women. At GGC, we’ve created a strong community of support for women to aid their success in the IT program.” The WIT@GGC Java Boot Camp is geared toward women IT majors as a way to introduce them to programming before taking a required programming course, building their confidence and sense of community. The service-learning Technology Ambassadors Program helps students enhance their technical communications, hone their leadership skills and conduct outreach to educate their peers about technology careers.

“ If we are to create technology that works for all of us, then its development teams need representation from all of us, including women. ”

“We do what we do because we feel strongly about the cause and understand the value of it,” Dekhane said. “Earning the award validates our efforts and brings awareness. That’s why awards like these are valuable. It acknowledges that there is a need to support women in technology, that this kind of work is important and that it needs to be done.”