Tech from the Heart:
Insight Partners With Girls Who Code to Close the Gender Gap in Tech
Written by Joyce MullenPresident & CEO, Insight
Joyce assumed her role in January 2022 as president and CEO of Insight Enterprises, a $9.4 billion Fortune 500 organization. She leads Insight’s evolution as an industry-recognized solutions integrator that helps organizations accelerate their digital journey and maximize the business value of technology.
It’s a big question. And while the answer is likely a complicated one, Sarah Mpenza, Insight’s senior manager of diversity, leadership and organizational development, doesn’t hesitate with her answer: “Definitely stereotypes. Tech roles tend to be dominated by men.”
Insight AI practice architect Cathy Snell can relate. At university, she was one of maybe two women in a room of 400 men.
“My dad was an engineer and my uncle was a college professor in an engineering discipline,” says Snell. “I’ve had conversations with him about the challenges as an educator, specifically about attracting and retaining women’s interest, and how to increase it over time.”
Obstacles like these are just a few of the many that Insight and the international nonprofit organization, Girls Who Code, address through their community partnership.
Girls Who Code is one of Insight’s newest, but most treasured, community partners. Our leadership team jumped at the opportunity to partner with Girls Who Code because we believe this organization has the power to change the world.
In June, we hosted our first Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program (SIP). 54 high-school students identifying as girls or non-binary from underrepresented groups in Black, Latinx and low-income communities participated in the two-week virtual course.
Together, we’re taking a bold step toward bridging the tech gender gap. We focus on women in tech with role models, unique learning opportunities and promoting values-driven diversity in the STEM sector.
Mpenza and Snell were two of several Insight teammates who volunteered their time and expertise to SIP.
The program taught computer science through the fundamentals of user experience design, rapid prototyping and playtesting. Students gained hands-on experience with generative AI and 3D game building in Unity. They also heard from Insight female technologists and leaders who shared their expertise and career advice.
“As a company that believes in the transformative power of technology, Insight’s collaboration with Girls Who Code opens new doors of possibility for our next generation of innovators,” says Jen Vasin, chief human resources officer at Insight.
Women have long been underrepresented across our industry. Our commitment to change this reality includes mentorship and accessibility to young girls who show a passion for tech.
“Women have long been underrepresented across our industry,” continues Vasin. “Our commitment to change this reality includes mentorship and accessibility to young girls who show a passion for tech. Girls Who Code inspires them with the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to succeed, and we’re proud to contribute to that.”
When you have different perspectives from different genders, you come out with something that’s usually better than it was going to be before.
As Snell points out, there is clear power in the particular skill sets that gender diversity can bring to a field.
“I feel like the women that I’ve worked with in technology have this amazing sense of being able to see the complete picture and tie together all these disparate pieces. I can’t speak for other minorities, but I think that all minorities bring a unique perspective, and we need to value that,” says Snell.
Mpenza agrees. “Just think about artificial intelligence,” she says. “You have to realize that the people who are building this, they’re mostly men. And that has inevitably had an impact on where these new technologies are utilized and how they’re applied. It’s important that we have more women, more girls deciding that they want to do this.”
Matt Fedorovich, Insight’s National Lead for Immersive Technology, who also volunteered to contribute to the program, is a champion for women in tech.
“I’m not going to lie, I think some girls are better at it than anybody else,” laughs Fedorovich. “The technology today is so different from what we had years ago. Expanding that out to everybody is critical because that’s how we advance technology in general.”
Gender diversity in tech has gotten better, but it still has a long way to go.
“I do think things have changed for the better, but we still see challenges,” says Snell. “This is another reason why it was great to participate with Girls Who Code, because I love their mission and what they’re doing.”
Mentorship and representation play a key role in leading more young women to pursue a career in tech.
“The partnership with Insight and Girls Who Code is so important because it gives these girls and young women a fabulous opportunity to interact, engage and kind of see themselves in the tech world,” says Lisa Borsotti, associate general counsel at Insight who volunteered to facilitate the program.
“They’re engaging with female inventors, female innovators, women who are in senior positions at a big tech company like Insight. It shows them in a very real and tangible way, a path where they can see the breadth of the world that is open to them.”
Insight’s commitment to changing the industry’s lack of female and diverse representation isn’t just about fostering passion in computer science among girls. It’s about building pathways to ensure they’re given access to education — and lucrative careers.
Case in point: the immersion program offered a sisterhood panel on finding your voice and developing skills to push beyond biases. The girls heard from Insight female technologists about their experiences in inventorship and patents.
They met Hailey Kotvis, who started at Insight two years ago as a data scientist intern. Today, she’s an associate software engineer and data scientist with six patents pending.
“After presenting how to get in the patent ideation mindset, I shared some of my patent ideas and saw audience members expand on those ideas in real-time,” says Kotvis. “Part of my presentation touched on the value of bouncing ideas off other people — which happened organically during that meeting. It was so inspiring!”
It thrills me to know the Girls Who Code immersion graduates have a remarkable statistic to boast about: they major in computer science at a rate seven times higher than the national average. This success leads to the development of a tech workforce that reflects the diversity of our world today.
“Girls Who Code is a fantastic initiative. I love supporting it. It’s one of the best organizations I’ve worked with so far,” says Fedorovich.
It’s key to anticipate where tech may lead and the consequences that come with it. It’s part of Insight’s mission to stay ahead of the curve for clients, and make sure the next generation of STEM professionals are equipped to do so, too.
My personal advice to young women is to get uncomfortable. Find ways to stand out in a competitive job market. And never stop learning.
Girls Who Code is a fantastic initiative. I love supporting it. It’s one of the best organizations I’ve worked with so far.
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