Girls Talk Tech: Inspiring the next generation of IT experts
Jordan High School seniors Ananya Loke, left, and Kavya Malgi, daughter of ConocoPhillips Analytics Platforms Staff Architect Anand Malgi, examine a 3D-printed aluminum cube provided by the ConocoPhillips Emerging Digital Technology group.
By Kathryn Donelson
Twenty-four Houston-area high school students learned what it's like to work in Information Technology (IT) at ConocoPhillips during the 2023 Girls Talk Tech (GTT) IT Summer Program, held June 19-23 at ConocoPhillips Center.
IT Summer Program Co-Leads Gabriella Mariello, left, Cari Faulds and Ashley Su welcome participants to the weeklong event, which was held June 19-23 at ConocoPhillips Center in Houston, Texas.
Now in its third year, the GTT program enables students to gain insight and exposure to various technologies, career paths and industry opportunities. The 2023 program featured twice the usual number of participants, representing seven Houston-area high schools.
"Having more participants created an even livelier atmosphere," said Ashley Su, IT supervisor, Engineering and Capital Projects and IT Summer Program co-lead, "and it gave the girls a better chance to expand their networks and learn from each other."
Business Capabilities Manager Cassandra Corley with 2023 Girls Talk Tech IT Summer Program students. Corley, a Girls Talk Tech co-executive sponsor, was one of the keynote speakers featured during the weeklong event. Girls Talk Tech was formed in 2018 with the mission to educate, encourage and empower young women to embrace technology for the future.
On the technical front this year, the girls learned about Splunk, a cybersecurity tool; micro:bits, pocket-size computers used for basic coding and commands; Microsoft Power BI, a data analytics and visualization platform; virtual reality headsets; robots; drones; and 3D-printing.
For soft skills, the students participated in a resume-building presentation/workshop that taught them how to format their resumes and include pertinent information.
Kate Christenbury
"Each girl left the workshop with a resume that would impress any college or potential employer,” said Kate Christenbury, advisor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and program presenter.
To help students navigate the path ahead, ConocoPhillips interns and early-career employees gave advice on college majors, extracurricular activities, internships and transitioning from college to work.
And several of ConocoPhillips' female leaders stopped in to deliver inspirational speeches and share career advice, including Natacha Buchanan, Chief Diversity Officer; Annessa McKenzie, Chief Information Security Officer; Cassandra Corley, manager, Business Capabilities; and Pragati Mathur, Chief Digital & Information Officer.
St. Agnes Academy juniors Alexis Vu, left, and Gabriela Arenas work to get their computers set up for the week.
To develop their communications skills, the girls learned how to prepare and deliver a presentation, using one of the technologies they learned about, with mentors guiding them through the process.
On the last day of the program, each pair presented their findings to an audience of students, parents and company leaders.
Cari Faulds
The presentations taught the girls how to work with a partner, market themselves, build real-world skills and experience what it's like to present in a corporate setting, said Cari Faulds, supervisor, Productivity Adoption and IT Summer Program co-lead.
"In taking questions from the audience," she said, "the girls got to be the subject-matter experts. It was a huge confidence builder for them.”
Gabriella Mariello
Gabriella Mariello, Rotational analyst, Security and IT Summer Program co-lead, said the GTT program not only exposes students to the various roles that exist inside an IT function, but also shows them the numerous educational pathways that can lead to an IT career.
“A lot of the students come into the program thinking that IT people just sit and code all day," she said. "Coding is important, but it’s just one of many jobs that you'll find in IT."
In addition to Girls Talk Tech swag and a commemorative tie-dyed T-shirt and bucket hat, the girls left this year's IT Summer Program with an appreciation for technology careers and confidence in their futures.
It takes a village to fulfill the Girls Talk Tech mission to educate, encourage and empower girls to pursue technology for the future. To that end, numerous volunteers, mentors, facilitators, tour guides, presenters and program leads all pitched in to help make this year's event a success.
ConocoPhillips volunteers took IT Summer Program students on tours of ConocoPhillips Center, which consists of SPIRIT ONE and SPIRIT TWO, so they could experience its amenities and workspaces.
ConocoPhillips Chief Digital & Information Officer Pragati Mathur, far right in blue, poses with 2023 Girls Talk Tech IT Summer Program participants. Pragati was one of the keynote speakers for the event.
The 2023 program featured twice the usual number of participants, representing seven Houston-area high schools. "Having more participants created an even livelier atmosphere," said Ashley Su, IT supervisor, Engineering and Capital Projects and IT Summer Program co-lead, "and it gave the girls a better chance to expand their networks and learn from each other."
These members of the Girls Talk Tech core committee organized the 2023 IT Summer Program. BACK: Gabby Mariello, Kristen Petry, Kelsey Schroeder, Pragati Mathur, Kate Christenbury, Paloma Urbano and Molly Wagner. FRONT: Cari Faulds, Kathryn Donelson, Ashley Su and Keleigh Maire. The Girls Talk Tech IT Summer Program would not be possible without the help of the volunteers, mentors, facilitators, tour guides, presenters and program co-leads who make the experience unforgettable.
Westside High School senior Valeria Munoz, Bellaire High School junior Pranalisree Rajarajan, Jordan High School senior Aigerim Zhadikbay and Jordan High School junior Tashvi Singla explore ConocoPhillips Center during the 2023 Girls Talk Tech (GTT) IT Summer Program.
Austin Cornelius, Emerging Digital Technology Testing Senior Analyst, demonstrates how drones work and explains how ConocoPhillips is using them in its operations.
Chief Diversity Officer Natacha Buchanan, one of the keynote speakers for the summer program, talks to the students about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Jordan High School senior Vaishnavi Girish, left, Jordan High School senior Ananya Loke and Seven Lakes High School junior Carolina Kusumanegara show Tom Muras, IT Supervisor, Architect & Delivery, a game they developed using Micro:bits, pocket-size computers used for basic coding and commands.
Bellaire High School sophomore Stacy Shih and Seven Lakes High School Sonia Kefi (daughter of ConocoPhillips employee Sandie Kefi, Pricing IT Senior Analyst), show off their certificates of completion after their final presentation. Joining them, from left, are Ashley Su, Cari Faulds, Gabby Mariello and Kate Christenbury.
Jordan High School senior Poojita Balusu, left, and Westside High School senior Maria Fajardo explain what they found as a result of visualizing their dataset using Power BI, a data analytics and visualization platform.
