Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

Two professors from Georgia State University, Anu Bourgeois and Nannette Napier, have established a new program that supports Black women students interested in computing and technical fields. The initiative was funded through a $500,000 grant from the Reboot Representation in Tech Coalition, a partnership of tech companies aimed at increasing Black, Latina, and Native American women representation in the field. While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university’s computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors. The “Reaching for Inclusion – Striving for Excellence (RISE) in Computing” program was created to increase the representation of Black women students graduating from Georgia State University with a technical field degree and prepare them for successful careers post-graduation. “This started off as listening to our students, talking to our students, seeing what they wanted and what they were feeling. We realized that they feel like they don’t belong in their classes,” said Dr. Bourgeois. “They have imposter syndrome and extra stresses and burdens in their lives that aren’t necessarily there for many of the other women in the field.” So far, the RISE...