Fifty50 Goes to Grace Hopper Down Under

In July of 2019, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Grace Hopper Down Under celebration with a group of ANU students studying in the Computer Science area. My name is Chloe Lamplugh and I am an executive of Fifty50. At the conference, I was able to meet hundreds of incredible women doing amazing things within the tech and STEM fields for gender diversity. I was able to both learn from and connect with other women (and allies) who were as passionate as I am about fixing the leaky pipeline. 

One of the main focuses of the event was to enable women in tech fields to make connections and to network. This was a particular focus because research has found women need role models and to see others doing amazing things in tech in order to succeed. This can be in schooling, personal life, or industry. 

I left the event feeling much more educated on why gender equity work is necessary and what strategies were effective. The main takeaway I had and that I wanted to bring to Fifty50 was a focus on the importance of role models. Underrepresented groups need to see what they can be. Many incredible women also spoke about the programs they had implemented, such as Code Like a Girl and Robogals. They are organisations doing great things that are definitely worth supporting if you are looking for what they offer. 

If you have the opportunity to go to a Grace Hopper conference in 2020 or beyond, I highly recommend it!