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BFOIT
is trying to eliminate the barriers what have traditionally kept
women and underrepresented minorities (African Americans,
Chicanos/Latinos, Filipinos) from entering computer science and
engineering. We are working on constructing a pipeline- a
clear, articulated path, from middle school through career, that
will provide all the resources and options available to students,
with BFOIT being a stable advocate the whole way.
We
have several programs that work in unison to support such a pipeline
that identifies, recruits and retains promising new leaders who are
women and otherwise underrepresented.
The mix includes internships, scholarships, networking
opportunities, mentoring, and behind-the-scenes advocacy.
BFOIT recognizes that there are many quality
programs to help motivated students reach their goals. But
they are not connected and in fact it is confusing to figure out who
does what, who is located where, and how to get information.
We are trying to take the guesswork and frustration out of the
process of finding success in the fields of information technology.
Read more about BFOIT's
approach.
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Information
Technology Leadership Program: We identify
and develop students who show exceptional promise in the
fields of computer science and engineering.
ITLP
educates and trains middle and high school students in
technology topics and leadership skills, gives them the
necessary tools to be successful in their quest for higher
education, and breaks down barriers that have traditionally
thwarted achievement.
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ITLP
Summer
institute for high school students:
The 2006 BFOIT Summer Institute will bring over twenty-five middle
school and 25 high school
students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds with interest and skills in computer science - to the
campus of U.C. Berkeley for two weeks. There, the students will
be exposed to the fundamentals of computer programming, attend workshops,
interact with academics and high tech professionals, and become
more familiar with a university environment. In addition to
gaining tangible skills, the students’ accomplishments
and exposure instill a belief in themselves and their ability
to pursue a high tech education at a competitive university.
Furthermore, the program enables BFOIT to engage with a cohort
of young students, with whom we maintain communication for the
Leadership program in the Fall.
Click Here to read
what the students had to say about the program!!
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Recruitment
Day:
In order to improve these students’
potential for admission to college, BFOIT offers a number of
workshops. We reach out to the graduates of our summer institute
for participation in these events. For example, BFOIT offers
scholarships for SAT preparation courses to the students.
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Undergraduate
support:
BFOIT’s network of support for our undergraduates
consists of scholarships, internships, and mentoring for individual
students and support for student groups. Selected scholars are
supported by a local IT company with scholarships ; mentoring
by an employee; and internships in which the student has a full-time
summer job at the company after his/her sophomore and junior
years. This allows the students to develop job skills and relationships
with potential employers. n addition, BFOIT provides assistance
to student groups in order to foster community among underrepresented
students such as the Women in Science and Engineering theme
residence and the Latino Association of Graduate Students in
Science and Engineering.
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Consortium:
In addition to the programs for the students, BFOIT is assisting
in the formation of a consortium of Bay Area public education
institutions that offer instruction in information technology.
Such a network will improve communication and articulation among
the programs, and allow students to perceive a more seamless
array of educational paths.
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