Fourth Annual GirlCon Conference Aims to Empower Young Women in STEM

CHICAGO, May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GirlCon, an international tech conference empowering young women to pursue their passions through STEM careers, announced registration is now open for its fourth annual event, taking place virtually between June 27 - 30, 2021. Registration is free and open to all high school female and non-binary identifying students.

The action-packed four-day conference will feature breakout, professional development and keynote sessions led by industry leaders from numerous backgrounds, including Dixie Adams and Kelly Chambliss (IBM), Alyssa Miller, a cybersecurity expert, Madhulika Guhathakurta (NASA) and Hope Goins (Department of Homeland Security). In addition to the professional development and "Tech +" sessions, which combine technology with niche career paths (e.g. Tech + Art), this year's attendees will experience new one-on-one meetings with career experts and coffee chats with speakers throughout the conference.

"After switching to a virtual format last year due to COVID-19, we were able to expand GirlCon's reach to an international level," said Co-Director Ellie Goldsmith. "We had 700 participants from 32 countries and this year, we hope to increase participation even further, inspiring the next generation of women in STEM," added Co-Director Vidya Bharadwaj.

After noticing there were significantly less women in their Chicagoland high school STEM classes, co-founders Kyla Guru and Molly Graton sought to create an experience that empowered young women and nonbinary students to better connect with STEM role models. While Guru and Graton are now chairpersons on the Board of Directors, the entire event is planned and executed by the CORE team, many of whom began as participants, connected through their passion for GirlCon's mission. The 2021 dedicated team includes Goldsmith, Bharadwaj, Sneha Mohan, Prachi Gyanmote, Ally Geren, Zaryaab Khan and Kristin Yun.

"Four years ago, GirlCon was founded as part of the global effort to close the gender gap in STEM career fields," said co-founder Kyla Guru. "Four years later, that mission is as relevant as ever and GirlCon is one way we are helping young women to not only recognize their potential, but provide the resources to achieve it."

Bits N' Bytes Cybersecurity Education Corp. (BNBCE), a national nonprofit and 501(C)(3) charity founded by Guru, has been GirlCon's proud collaborator since its inception, making it a true community and charitable activity. GirlCon is made possible by sponsors including Balyasny Asset Management, CME Group, IBM, ISACA Chicago and Google.

GirlCon is taking place virtually Sunday, June 27 - Wednesday, June 30, 2021 from 3pm - 7pm CST daily. To learn more and to register for the free event, visit www.girlcon.org.

ABOUT GIRLCON

GirlCon is an international tech conference created by students, for students to empower the next generation of female leaders in STEM. GirlCon's not-for-profit mission is to encourage high school students identifying as female/non-binary to fearlessly pursue their goals, combining their passions with technology. Follow GirlCon on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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SOURCE GirlCon