Our Story: Why we started
In college, we were 64 girls in a batch of 650 and in our CS class, we were 19 girls in a class of 212. Being such a small minority, we often felt alone and lacked a sense of community and belonging. While our male counterparts would often get help and guidance from their hostel mates (who were all in the same class, doing the same assignments, and following a similar career path), we did not enjoy the same privilege.
Though BITS always provided us with the same platforms and made no distinctions based on our gender, we needed to work harder to do as well and search longer to find the same opportunities, simply because we were not a part of the network through which our male classmates shared information and support. While applying for an opportunity, we struggled to find peers and seniors who were doing or had done similar things and could provide us with feedback, guidance or even encouragement. After speaking to several female alumni as well as juniors who had all had similar experiences, we realised that something needed to be done.
We, the women of BITS Goa were in pressing need of a community. A space where we could share resources, offer support and guidance, and discuss ideas. A network through which we could collaborate, and work together. This is why we created BITS Goa Women in Tech.
We were all in our 4th year of college, and the need for this community really resonated with us. Although it was overwhelming initially to start something from scratch, especially remotely, the journey so far has been extremely fulfilling. Watching the BGWiT family grow, and receiving messages from our juniors about how much this community has helped them, has really made all of our effort and work worth it. As an added bonus, the experience of starting this initiative has strengthened our friendship, something that we are all very grateful for.
We try to work as openly and transparently as possible, take constant feedback and encourage interaction. We also ensure that all of the material we use and share is stored in a public repository (our website) so it can help anyone at any time.
We really hope that BITS Goa Women in Tech can help you in some way or the other!
For getting to know more about our initiatives, check out our website: https://bitsgoawomenintech.wixsite.com/bgwit
