High School Girls Prepare Themselves for a Tech Education at MCWT’s GET-IT Connection Summit

SOUTHFIELD, Nov. 2, 2022 – Over 250 high school girls from across Michigan gathered on a crisp fall morning at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus for the annual GET-IT Connection Summit – a free, one-day event hosted by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation. The event engaged participants in learning about the diverse experiences that women in tech face day-to-day, while exploring topics such as the science of happiness and financial literacy. 

“My favorite moment was when we split into groups and learned about credit and investing,” said an 11th grade student from Northview High School in Grand Rapids. “I love that I learned about the different apps that can help me budget and get ready for college.”  

MCWT initiated the program in 2019 to help prepare tech-oriented high school girls for their next academic phase. The event teaches life skills and provides a forum to hear about others’ experiences in the transition to college to study technology.   

“In addition to educating the girls, our main goal is to show the girls that women add a diverse perspective, insight and humanity to the technology experience,” said Diane Jones, assistant vice president of ITS Administration and Operations, U of M and 2019 MCWT Woman of the Year in Technology. Jones and another committed MCWT volunteer, Darlene Taylor, were instrumental in creating the GET-IT Connection Summit.

“Seeing the diversity of different degrees from the ladies on the panel was a big takeaway for me,” said an 11th grade student from Northview High School in Grand Rapids. “Learning from Ashley Cane and Ms. Diane was big because I didn’t really think that there were a lot of women of color doing so many things in tech.”  

“The feedback from the girls is so important,” said Chris Rydzewski, executive director of MCWT. “MCWT believes in the power of representation and diversity to influence more young women to pursue technology studies and careers.” 

The following generous sponsors helped make this event possible: University of Michigan – Information and Technology Services; BorgWarner; Ford Motor Company; Stryker; Dow; and Trinity Health.  

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Editor’s Note: See the list of schools, panelists and additional program details here.