A famous tech conference provided Saints not only with renewed motivation, confidence, and clarity about their future careers, but with a true sense of belonging and representation.
The Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is billed as the world’s largest gathering of women in tech, bringing together thousands of attendees from across the globe to learn, network, and celebrate their achievements. This year’s event was held November 4-7 in Chicago, and featured more than 300 sessions and presentations, plus a huge exhibitor hall.
MaryAnne Egan, Ph.D. and Jami Cotler, Ph.D., both professors of computer science, were joined at GCH by Rebecah Leonard ’26, Ceana Potter ‘26, Lexi Randt ‘26, Rae Holder ‘27, Sushmita Mandal ’27, Jamie Martino ’27, and Sana Seth ’27. Egan started taking Siena students to the celebration in 2007.
“The celebration provided far more than exposure to emerging technologies and industry leaders; it offered our students representation, mentorship, and community in ways that are not always accessible in traditional academic spaces,” said Cotler. “For several of our students, especially women of color and those from underrepresented backgrounds, this was the first time they truly saw themselves reflected in the field they aspire to enter. We watched them stand taller, speak with more confidence, and recognize that their voices and ideas matter.”
Egan said that throughout the week, they saw the students’ professional identities take shape as they engaged in workshops, explored new career paths, connected with mentors, and gained insight into AI, UX design, cloud technologies, and the broader landscape of industry roles.
“Some even returned with interviews or job opportunities that began with a simple conversation at the conference,” she said. “More importantly, they came back with a stronger sense of belonging, motivation, and belief in what is possible for their futures.”
Potter is planning on a career in UI/UX design.
“By discussing portfolio requirements, desired software proficiencies and job responsibilities with company representatives in the career fair, I feel that I better understand how I should market myself,” she said. “I feel reenergized now knowing that I have a solid goal to work towards, that being the development of these additional skills and my own marketability.”
Holder, who was born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, said she was “blessed” to meet other women in the tech field.
“They had similar aspirations to me, looked like me, had similar experiences, and understood me,” she explained. “The sense of community, welcoming, and belonging I discovered at the conference was as the theme for this year: ‘Unbound.’”
Over this past summer, Seth had the opportunity to research the intersection of AI and psychology, so the experience at the conference that stood out the most to her was the Digital Empathy Session “How AI is Transforming Mental Health and Emotional Wellness.”
“The speakers led an incredibly powerful talk about understanding empathy and its role in the digital world and in AI,” she said. “They talked about the importance of societal and psychological well-being, how empathy impacts business and organizational success, and what it means to safeguard human well-being as technology continues to evolve.”
Participation in the GHC was funded through a grant to Siena from The Boeing Company.
