Student Reflections: Grace Hopper Celebration 2024
Six students from Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences recently attended AnitaB.org's 2024 Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), which connects women and nonbinary people in technology. Using scholarships from CDS, the students had the opportunity to gain insights from tech leaders, interact with recruiters and hiring managers, network with tech professionals, and learn how different organizations are incorporating emerging tech into their operations. Below, the students share their thoughts on the annual event.
CDS Student Takeaways from GHC
Seung Hee (Cassie) Lee MSDS'25
Attending the Grace Hopper Celebration 2024 hosted by AnitaB.org was an unforgettable and transformative experience for me. I had the privilege of learning from trailblazing women who are shaping the future of technology. Their discussions on cutting-edge technologies and innovative tech stacks were incredibly inspiring. My conversations with industry recruiters gave me valuable insights into the most in-demand skills and what companies are looking for in future tech talent.
It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with a diverse group of professionals from various industries, exchange knowledge, and build meaningful connections. It was an eye-opening and inspiring experience. I feel even more motivated to grow in my tech journey and look forward to applying what I’ve learned.
Jasmine (Anh) Pham MSDS'24
Grace Hopper Celebration 2024 was beyond my expectations! I had the opportunity to meet and make friends with truly amazing women. It was inspiring to see the passion, drive, and thoughtfulness that everyone brought to the table. One of the most emotional moments for me was to see our Vietnamese community of women in computing thrive and support each other. The sense of empowerment was incredibly moving and filled me with pride.
I also had incredible opportunities to speak with industry leaders across industries about how they are adopting and leveraging emerging technologies like GenAI in their work. It was fascinating to hear about both the opportunities and the limitations/ethical concerns these innovations bring. Navigating this space responsibly is key, and it’s encouraging to see these discussions at the forefront.
Zou Yang MSDS’25
It was really great to see many women in tech. Diversity is important not only in tech but also in many other fields, as it helps reduce potential biases. On the academic side, I spoke with some schools about PhD admissions and got to know the programs better. On the career side, it is always beneficial to talk to people and understand what kind of qualifications they are looking for. Regarding CDS, I will pursue a path in data science and focus on algorithmic bias in my future academic career.
Araba Aidoo'26
Attending the Grace Hopper Celebration was an incredible experience that not only deepened my understanding of the tech industry but also helped me grow my professional network. Every speaker event provided valuable insights and perspectives that helped shape how I view my future career.
What really made GHC stand out for me was the doors it opened that I never imagined possible. I had the chance to speak with companies I had only admired from afar, and it was an eye-opening experience to engage with their recruiters and representatives on a personal level. These connections even led to private events and interview opportunities for internships.
I want to bring that same spirit of mentorship to CDS, especially through Tech Talks, and have already been talking about it with my peers. My goal is to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable asking questions and seeking advice.
Oluwatobi Oyinloye'26
At GHC 2024, there were an incredible amount of talks and workshop sessions catered to different disciplines in tech, some of which I had the opportunity to attend. The most notable included “Unlock the Power of AI: Mastering Real-Time Personalization in Marketing,” which was held by a marketing software engineer at NVIDIA. She spoke about the power of using AI on data from customer profiles to target marketing messaging.
As someone who is interested in the intersection of communications and technology, this talk was right up my alley and provided an example of how both fields can be combined in the professional world. I also attended another AI-based talk titled “Zero to Hero: Powering Development and Career With ML and Generative AI” held by a speaker from Google, where we learned about different ways to utilize Google’s AI Studio, as well as working on projects with the Google API and some tips on how to grow our portfolio by working on personal projects.
Emma Steel'25
Attending the Grace Hopper Celebration was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to explore a wide range of tech topics while seeing firsthand how the data science content I’ve learned is being applied in real-world settings. Seeing concepts from my coursework come to life gave me a sense of excitement and pride in the field I’ve chosen and emphasized the importance of data science outside the classroom.
One session that deeply resonated with me was the discussion on using natural language processing to analyze the factors that contribute to undergraduate success in computing for women. This topic was particularly meaningful, as I’ve experienced firsthand the gender imbalance in my own classes, which are often male-dominated. It was inspiring to learn how these insights can be used to improve retention rates for women in STEM, a critical issue since women drop out of these fields at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts.