After attending this session, I really wish I had had the opportunities the four panelists had when I was in high school! Unfortunately, I did not plan on being a CS major when I was in high school. I was always supposed to be Dr. McCullar (in the medical sense). Hopefully, with any luck, I will still be Dr. McCullar someday! :)
In this informal session, the students (3 of which are still in high school, and 1 is a college freshman) answered prepared questions and questions posed by the audience. I even asked a question: Since we are planning a high school day at DePauw for local girls, what kinds of things would be good to do? What would be interesting? Here are the suggestions I was given:
-Attempt to provide something interesting and hands-on, like robots.
-Let them play around with simple programs and code.
-Make sure everything is interactive!
-Spread the message that it's possible for you to be a computer scientist.
-Help them understand what CS is and the opportunities that are available.
Their suggestions were very helpful, and I'm very much looking forward to having our college day!
The girls also answered questions about laptop usage, internet security, and student perceptions of female computer scientists. That particular question made me think: what really is the perception? A lot of my friends think I fix their computers, but what do my classmates think of me? I honestly think it depends on the situation and the student in question. I am a very take-charge type of person, so when I work on a project with a partner or group, I immediately like to contribute, so I think I have been able to prove myself. Should I have to prove myself because I'm a woman? It's issues like these that make me feel very grateful to be attending GHC.
Brit McCullar
Official GHC 2007 Blogger
You may comment on this blog by visiting the GHC Forum. You can find me at britghc2007.blogspot.com.
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