November 23, 2004 > HerWorld - Young Women in Technology

by Linda Stone

DeVry University in Fremont held a conference on science and technology for high school women on Oct. 26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Union City. Over 500 juniors and seniors from the Tri City area and beyond attended the event designed to expose them to career choices in the fields of electronic engineering, bioinformatics, network communications and technical management.

The young women were nominated by faculty from their respective schools based on those who had shown an interest in science and technology or were doing well in their science and technology classes.

"The mission of HerWorld, which is a separate program within DeVry University, is to present possibilities of career choices that young women may not be encouraged to make and may not be considering for themselves," said Dean of Academic Support Services Norma Melone. "There are exciting careers out there that they may not know about and by the time they graduate there may be more out there than even we know about. It's a growing area."

The students attended multi-media presentations on new career opportunities and examples of high achieving women and participated in workshops on professional dress and appearance, and reaching educational goals. Highlighting the event was the keynote speaker, Tiffany Shlain, award-winning filmmaker, creator of the Webby Awards, and internet expert for the Good Morning America show. Shlain invited the audience to consider careers that utilize modern technology, so that they may manage their time and express their personal creativity. She challenged them to become "women who will shape the 21st century."

The conference was informational and literature was made available on programs that the university offers for those who were interested.

Women from several technical areas led the four workshops, including Pamela Wilhite, and Andrea Jackson, professors at DeVry, and Alicia Hernandez from NUMMI of Fremont. Also included was a workshop on fashion in the workplace, presented by Nordstrom, and Pam Hill of Mary Kay Cosmetics spoke on "Makeup not Make-over for the Young Professional Women."

A DVD and TV were given out as prizes as well as gift certificates from Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Decorative jars of candy for faculty and advisors, who were mostly women, were also presented.

This was the third HerWorld conference for DeVry in Fremont. DeVry has a metro campus in San Francisco and a new campus that opened this year in Sacramento.

For more information on DeVry and the programs they offer, visit their website at www.devry.edu or call (510) 574-1200.