STEM Visitors Help Celebrate International Girls in ICT Day
By Leyla A. ’23
Last Thursday, April 28, STEM students had the opportunity to participate in activities for International Girls in ICT Day, a program hosted by the International Telecommunications Union to help encourage young women to develop STEM skills for a career in Information and Communications Technology. The theme of this year’s event was “Access and Safety.” With the help of visiting ICT professionals from Cisco — Maria Erickson, Ademola Desalu, and Jeff Chun — participating students were led through various activities to experience this worldwide event firsthand.
Last Thursday, April 28, STEM students had the opportunity to participate in activities for International Girls in ICT Day, a program hosted by the International Telecommunications Union to help encourage young women to develop STEM skills for a career in Information and Communications Technology. The theme of this year’s event was “Access and Safety.” With the help of visiting ICT professionals from Cisco — Maria Erickson, Ademola Desalu, and Jeff Chun — participating students were led through various activities to experience this worldwide event firsthand.
In a hands-on activity session, the Cisco team members taught us the fundamentals of networking and how the internet and networking work on our campus, as well as the secret place where the hub of the networks is hidden in order to operate! We also learned how to set up a WiFi router manually using a laptop and a single TP-Link WiFi router.
During the next portion of the event, we discussed how networking has impacted our daily lives and what great opportunities technology has brought to women in a male-dominated field.
Finally, we watched the international live-stream hosted by ICT Day representatives to educate the youth participating around the world on the importance of networking and women in STEM. The speakers were all associated with esports in various ways. This year’s speakers focused on bringing access and safety to online gaming and applying the skills learned from gaming in ICT careers. We heard from Shae Williams, Co-founder of Coalition of Parents in Esports, about being a parent of a professional esports player; Maria Tamellini, CEO and Founder of GamerSafer, who spoke about keeping online gaming safe for all players; and Sana Sheikh, who spoke about being a Network Engineer at Riot Games. The Cisco guests then engaged students in a conversation about their experiences with gaming and how they could apply these skills in a future career.
Students wishing to explore more resources can visit Cisco’s International Girl in ICT Day site!
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During the next portion of the event, we discussed how networking has impacted our daily lives and what great opportunities technology has brought to women in a male-dominated field.
Finally, we watched the international live-stream hosted by ICT Day representatives to educate the youth participating around the world on the importance of networking and women in STEM. The speakers were all associated with esports in various ways. This year’s speakers focused on bringing access and safety to online gaming and applying the skills learned from gaming in ICT careers. We heard from Shae Williams, Co-founder of Coalition of Parents in Esports, about being a parent of a professional esports player; Maria Tamellini, CEO and Founder of GamerSafer, who spoke about keeping online gaming safe for all players; and Sana Sheikh, who spoke about being a Network Engineer at Riot Games. The Cisco guests then engaged students in a conversation about their experiences with gaming and how they could apply these skills in a future career.
Students wishing to explore more resources can visit Cisco’s International Girl in ICT Day site!
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
