Speakers: Gabriela González, Uloma Okoro, Jamie Thy Tran

Negotiating salary? Advocating for yourself with a manager? Pushing for better practices in your workspace? These conversations can often feel daunting and stressful, but with some helpful tools in your toolkit, they can become easier with time. In this session, learn from experienced panelists how to advocate for yourself and others as you continue your journey.

Speaker: Prarthana Shyam

An interactive session to provide you with stepping stones on how to prepare yourself for success as you embark on an exciting growth phase of your life.

Speaker bio: Prarthana Shyam is a professional with 17 years of industry experience in manufacturing, supply chain and program management across various industries and geographies. Prarthana is passionate about D&I and Women's empowerment and has always been involved in developing and running organizations to support this. Currently at Microsoft, Prarthana leads “Women Innovation Network,” an employee resource group that provides initiatives focused and centered on women, under-represented genders, and allies for professional and personal growth. Prarthana is a mom of 2 kids and a fur baby. In her spare time, she trains and participates in Triathlons.

Speaker: Rebecca Houghton

This session will look at the intersections of gender and mental health and discuss tactics for navigating challenges presented by a one size fits all model in the workplace. We'll dig into topics around self-identifying, covering, building community, and what the tech industry is and isn’t doing to support women with their mental health. This talk will also offer a safe space for Q&A. Trigger warnings for this talk may include: Womxn’s health and hormones, gender-based violence, discussions of discrimination based on gender and other marginalized identities.

Speaker bio: Rebecca Houghton (she/her) leads Digital Community Support at Microsoft. She’s diagnosed OCD, PTSD, and bi-polar type 2. In her personal life, she advocates for ending gender-based violence and identifies as a member of the queer community.

Speakers: Roxy Stimpson

In this interactive workshop, we will explore the different leadership styles and help you identify your unique style through group activities and discussions. Understanding your leadership style is crucial in becoming an effective leader and achieving success personally and professionally.We will start by discussing the various leadership styles, such as authoritative, democratic, laissez-faire, and more. Then, we will have participants form small groups and work together to complete a task or solve a problem. As they work together, they can observe and reflect on each other's leadership styles.After the activity, we will facilitate a group discussion where participants can share what they learned about their own leadership style and how they can leverage their strengths to become more effective leaders. We will also provide resources and tips for developing different leadership skills and techniques. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, this workshop will provide valuable insights and practical tools to help you become the best leader you can be. Join us to discover your leadership style and learn from others in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Speakers: Natalie Gibson, Anna Wirth-Singh, Yilan Zhang, Mia Hoffman

Recent data from Accenture shows that as of 2022, only 25% of tech graduates are women. In addition, only 36% of industry employees agreed that companies had created empowering environments where people have a sense of belonging. As technology continues to evolve, what about the spaces and teams working to advance it? In this session, hear from panelists about their experiences as women in research and technology and ways we can work together towards a better, more inclusive future.

Speakers: Raquel Cundiff, Sirena Merfalen, Rosie Pham, Erica Sanchez, Kizzy Shaw

Hear from Boeing engineers and leaders from different backgrounds and experiences. You will learn how each has navigated the workplace, has come into their own, and embraced their background and culture. This will be a panel discussion led by Erica Sanchez.

Speaker bios:

• Erica Sanchez – Erica was born in New Mexico with grandparents from Mexico and Spain. She is currently the Sr. Director in Boeing Research & Technology for support to Commercial Airplanes.
• Raquel Cundiff - Raquel, a native Philippine Islander born in Cebu, Philippines, immigrated to the United States in 1975. She is currently an engineer in the Liaison Engineering Design Center team.
• Rosie Pham – Rosie was born and raised in Vietnam and came to the US in 1998. She is currently a Sr. Manager in Boeing Global Services as an Engineering workforce leader.
• Sirena Merfalen – Sirena was born on the mainland but is a Pacific Islander with parents from Guam and Hawaii. She is currently a first-level manager for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Customer Engineering.
• Kizzy Shaw - Kizzy is from Grenada. She is currently a first level manager in Boeing Research and Technology for the 787 program. 

Speakers: Arpita Dacy, Laura Lindeman, Danica Mason, Allyn Rwamashongye

Whether in school, at work, or in your everyday life, there are always opportunities to support the growth of others around you. How do we best mentor others, especially those very different from us? What does being an effective team leader or manager mean in today’s society? Through this panel of experienced leaders, learn how they mentor, manage, and empower teams with diverse identities to create spaces that allow everyone to thrive.

Speakers: Niveditha (Nivii) Kalavakonda, Kaitlyn Ng, Sami Park, Nina Mao, Shannon Mitchell

Have you ever wondered whether graduate school is the right move for you? In this session, current students will share their experiences and offer insight into the differences between MS and Ph.D. programs, application processes, timelines, and funding options.

Speakers: Ryan Anderson, Merry Cimakasky, Aliya Summers, Paige Wilsey

Join three esteemed guests for a discussion on the LGBTQIA+ experience in the workplace. Questions and topics include:

• Navigating the choice to “come out” or not at new jobs and on new teams
• How identity has informed workplace and coworker interactions
• Advice to new LGBTQIA+ folks entering the workplace
• Resources to look for at a company when evaluating the job and applying and once you start work.
• Changes in attitude and treatment over time in the industry, especially given today’s context.
• Allyship

Speakers: Rebecca Green, Sara Olson, Michael More (Career Center @ Engineering)

Learn effective tips for landing the positions you want with leaders from Oracle, Blue Origin, and the Career Center @ Engineering! In this session, you’ll gain insight into the recruiting process and how to stand out in places such as your application, interview, or career fair.

Speakers: Uloma Okoro, Raven Robertson, Kenya Mejia

The “imposter phenomenon” is an occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds. In this session, you’ll learn about how others have experienced and combatted this feeling and how they’ve come to view failure as a natural and expected part of growth. This will be an opportunity to have a candid conversation about how impostership affects us and the steps we can take to ensure it doesn’t prevent us from growing.