Leyden hosts Women in Tech Panel

Young women from both Leyden campuses attended the Women in Tech event held in mid-January at East Leyden. Students interested in a career in technology had the opportunity to learn about the experiences and gain advice from women working in the tech arena.

"I really enjoyed learning about women in technology and the experiences they have gone through to be where they are in life today."

"I learned that it's okay to make mistakes, especially when you take risks to achieve your goals."

"I loved when the panelists shared their stories and talked about how important it is to be confident, even if you're feeling a little uncertain. Confidence is key."

Amy Gorzynski, who teaches business classes including digital literacy, says the comments are typical of the feedback she received after students attended Leyden's sixth annual Women in Tech event. Held at the East campus in mid-January, the conference was attended by 60 young women from both campuses - all interested in pursuing a career in technology.

"Each year the panel of women is impressive and inspiring," says Gorzynski, who teaches at East and organized the event. "These women, in particular, were extremely relatable and genuine, something I know is important to our students."

The six guest panelists consisted of women from various areas of technology, including software development and engineering, cybersecurity analysis and research, technical consumer product support, marketing and education. The idea, Gorzynski says, was to represent a variety of positions, backgrounds and experience levels.

"At the end of the day, the purpose of the event is to introduce our students to jobs in the tech industry, and to empower young women to get involved, take risks and be confident. I am sure we succeeded at that," she adds.