Cornell University: Students find support and opportunity at Tapia conference

For those who self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group in tech, it’s not unusual to be in a room where no one else looks like you. To flip the script, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science led a delegation of more than 50 students, faculty and staff to the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing conference, held Sept. 7 – 10 in Washington D.C.

The annual conference celebrates “the diversity that exists in computing,” giving undergraduate and graduate students in computer and information science the opportunity to network with others who share both their identity and interests in computer science and tech, and to envision potential career paths in industry or academia.

“What I really hope students take away from this conference is that they’re not the only person in the world having this experience,” said LeeAnn Roberts, director for the Cornell Bowers CIS’ Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “They don’t have to travel through this field alone.”