Google Women Techmakers Scholarship Program

I got the opportunity to be a part of Google Techmakers Scholarship Program 2017. I am writing this post to share the details and my experience so that we can together come up with a diverse tech community and make an impact.

Dr. Anita Borg has always been an inspiration for most of the women in technology. Through Women Techmakers Scholar Program (formerly Google Anita Borg Scholar Program) , Google is taking ahead Anita Borg’s vision of gender equality in the field of computer science. Helping women to emerge as active leaders and role models for others.

How to apply?

First check the eligibility criteria. Criteria for Asia Pacific region is as follows:

1. Identify as female
2. Currently be enrolled at an accredited university for the 2017–2018 academic year
3. Intend to be enrolled in or accepted as a full-time or part-time student in a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD program at a university in Asia Pacific for the 2017–2018 academic year
4. Be studying computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field
5. Demonstrate a strong academic record
6. Exemplify leadership and demonstrate passion for increasing the involvement of women in computer science

If you are eligible, you can apply through Google Scholarships and Program application site.

To apply for the scholarship, you will have to answer some essay questions. These would be related to your passion in computer science, difficulties you faced in your tech journey and things you have done so far to promote women in tech. Just be genuine. These answers along with your resume and transcripts will reflect your academic background and leadership skills.

After the application is submitted and if you are shortlisted, there would be a short telephonic interview. For me it lasted for about half an hour. Questions would be asked to know about your interests and thoughts about women in tech field and the need of diversity in tech community. Take your interview as a discussion and you are gonna rock.

You will be informed via email if you get selected for the scholarship. Now the actual fun begins. You will be informed about the retreat and scholarship in the email itself.

What all you get?

1. Scholarship: An academic scholarship, awarded based on academic performance, leadership, and impact on the community of women in tech.
2. Retreat: An opportunity to connect with fellow scholars and Google mentors, while participating in professional and personal development training and workshops. Google will fly you to one of their offices for retreat. All the travel and accommodation cost is on Google. Yayy!
3. Community:An online network with fellow scholars program participants designed to share resources, support the global community of women in tech and collaborate on projects to make continued impact.

Google Women Techmakers Scholarship 2017

I got this great opportunity to be a part of Google Women Techmakers Scholars in 2017. A total of about 71 candidates were selected from 13 different countries. Retreat was in Google Seoul office, South Korea. These were most amazing 4 days of learning and fun.

It was a wonderful experience. I got to meet so many amazing people from different regions. Google took care of all our flights and accommodation. Retreat began with a welcome dinner and karaoke. And then for next three days, sessions were conducted in Google Seoul office. Apart from fun, I got to learn a lot from Googlers and other scholars. These sessions made me explore different technologies Google is working on, how to deal with bias and much more. There were interactive workshops on CS Unplugged(It’s awesome. Give it a look), building our personal brand etc. I got to interact with other scholars, Googlers and we all shared our stories of failure and success. In the end, we also got to explore Seoul a little (Thanks to Google Women Techmakers team). We managed time to visit Changdeokgung palace and Seoul tower. It was beautiful. In all, the retreat was a power pack full of fun, inspiration and motivation.

And yes, don’t forget the swags you get.

Its a great opportunity girls. Go for it!

I will keep adding such posts as a step towards diverse tech community. Hope you all will join in.:)