Grinnell Students Attend Grace Hopper Celebration
The women-centered tech conference provided opportunities for four Grinnell students to get inspired about their futures in computer science.
In September, four students in in the Grinnell Computer Science department attended the Grace Hopper Celebration. Named after a pioneer in the field of computer science, GRH is a large annual conference created to uplift women and non-binary individuals in tech.
This year, GRH took place in Orlando, Fla. and featured presentations and professional development opportunities including some 30,000 guests and over 400 speakers. The donor-supported Diversity in Computer Science fund supported student participation in GRH. Students Mia Hines ’24, Livia Stein Freitas ’25, Dieu Anh Trinh ’26 and Hong Doan ’24 attended GRH with Computer Science Professor Nicole Eikmeier and look back at their time at the conference as informative and inspiring.
“I loved all of GHC! I think my favorite part was the motivating talks and discussion panels throughout the conference,” Hines said. “I'm interested in Public Interest Tech, and there was a panel featuring women leaders in this space. It was extremely inspiring and reflective. I see myself in these women but also still aspire to reach the same heights as them.”
Stein Freitas also valued the educational opportunities provided at GHC and appreciated how they built off her Grinnell education.
“My favorite part of GHC was the workshops and talks,” Stein Freitas said. “I got to apply the knowledge from my Grinnell classes and learn more about topics that interest me, like object-oriented design paradigms and best practices for coding.”
In addition to educational opportunities, Grinnell students at GHC could explore career fields that interested them and connect with potential employers.
“My best memory from GHC is talking to the representatives for NEST, a company that helps Latine students get experience with computing and pursue professional opportunities in technology. The women I talked to were excited about my academic experiences, especially my double major in English and Computer Science,” Stein Freitas said. “As a Brazilian student, it was great to see institutions that do such good for my community represented at the conference.”
Grinnell students also enjoyed the opportunities GHC provided to build community with other women interested in tech.
“I reunited with one of my close friends from my past summer internship! When we first saw each other again, there was a lot of screaming and hugs,” Hines said. “I'm excited that my community of women technologists will continue to grow in my career.”