Equitable Access to STEM Careers

In collaboration with Women Who Code Boston, we’re highlighting three nonprofit organizations in the Boston area - Citizen Schools, Resilient Coders, and Women Who Code - that are working to inspire and empower people of underrepresented groups to excel in STEM careers.

Each speaker will share insights into the work they do and what levers can be pulled to create more equitable access to STEM careers for all communities. After the talks, we’ll have an audience Q&A session where the speakers will answer questions about what more we can do collectively to work towards this goal.

Special thanks to Pluralsight for hosting and Curriculum Associates for sponsoring food for this event!

Presenting Organizations and Speakers:

Citizen Schools

Description: Citizen Schools believes that all students deserve access to meaningful STEM learning experiences with opportunities to apply critical science concepts alongside mentors who can help strengthen students' skills and confidence in their ability to achieve.

Topic: The Catalyst Program: Partnering with Science Teachers to Inspire Middle School Students

Speaker and Bio: Lauren Chamberlain serves as Managing Director of Training and Experience at Citizen Schools. In this role, she leads the design of training programs and manages staff to deliver regional training and support to teachers and volunteers in the Catalyst program. Prior to her work in the nonprofit field, Lauren served as a Teach For America Corps Member and elementary school educator for six years, teaching kindergarten, first grade and K-8 behavior intervention in Phoenix, Arizona. Lauren has a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master’s of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights, both from Arizona State University, and an undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Resilient Coders

Description: Resilient Coders builds economic resiliency in black and brown communities by providing access to software engineering opportunities through training, placement and support for young adults of color.

Topic: Organizing for Equity and Building Worker Solidarity in Tech

Speaker Bio: Rouguiatou Diallo is the Chief of Staff of Resilient Coders. Her role consists in defining, implementing and tracking the organization’s progress toward its strategic goals. Prior to joining the Resilient Coders team, Rouguiatou worked as an analyst for the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, focusing on performance management and impact assessment in the public and social sectors. She has lived and worked in Paris, Montreal, Brussels and now Boston, always with a commitment to tackling socio-economic inequality. She holds a political science degree from McGill University.
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Women Who Code

Description: Women Who Code is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire women to excel in their tech careers. We have over 180,000 members across the globe and nearly 5,000 in the Boston network alone.

Topic: Coming soon!

Speaker and Bio: Shayna Cummings is a software engineer and tech lead at Pluralsight. Her team is developing an interactive learning experience to help users from all over the world learn technology skills more effectively. Shayna also serves as Director for Women Who Code in Boston, and teaches software development classes to adults in a variety of community organizations. Prior to Pluralsight, Shayna worked in engineering and project management roles at Maxwell Health and Harvard University. She holds a BA in Linguistics and Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Shayna is passionate about education, healthcare, community building, and making tech more accessible to everyone.

Tentative Schedule:
6:30 - Arrival
6:45 - Introductions
7:00 - Lightning Talks
7:50 - Panel Discussion and Audience Q & A
8:20 - Closing Announcements