The very first Girls Leading in Development and Engineering (GLIDE) community kick-off event was held last month at the Google Tokyo office. The GLIDE community was launched in Japan recently with the mission to encourage women to excel in computing and become active leaders in the field. The founders of the GLIDE community consist of women from different regions of Japan who are currently excelling in the field of computer science and have shown a deep passion for growing, promoting and strengthening female leaders in the world of engineering. The participants at the kick-off event consisted of former BOLD interns and the Anita Borg Scholars and finalists who are currently residing in different areas of Japan.
Highlights from this event included the opening welcome speech by Google Japan’s engineering site director, Joseph Ternasky, who spoke about why we value diversity in the world of engineering, followed by a keynote speech by engineering manager Xinmei Cai on technology and leadership, and the importance of becoming a leader in your own field.
We also had a diverse panel of software engineers take part in a panel discussion that covered a wide variety of topics, from how they embarked on their chosen career paths, to the differences between going into research and going into development. One panelist, software engineer Anuraag Angrawal, shared his experience as a former exchange student from the U.S. in a research lab at a Japanese university, and his path to Google. Female software engineer Kaori Fujiwara talked about her background in the field of both research and development. She highlighted the values of working in both areas, and her current work as a developer at Google. Kinuko Yasuda, another female engineer working at the Google Tokyo office, discussed her reasons for choosing to complete her PhD and offered advice to other female engineers thinking about continuing their education as Masters or PhD students.
Highlights from this event included the opening welcome speech by Google Japan’s engineering site director, Joseph Ternasky, who spoke about why we value diversity in the world of engineering, followed by a keynote speech by engineering manager Xinmei Cai on technology and leadership, and the importance of becoming a leader in your own field.
We also had a diverse panel of software engineers take part in a panel discussion that covered a wide variety of topics, from how they embarked on their chosen career paths, to the differences between going into research and going into development. One panelist, software engineer Anuraag Angrawal, shared his experience as a former exchange student from the U.S. in a research lab at a Japanese university, and his path to Google. Female software engineer Kaori Fujiwara talked about her background in the field of both research and development. She highlighted the values of working in both areas, and her current work as a developer at Google. Kinuko Yasuda, another female engineer working at the Google Tokyo office, discussed her reasons for choosing to complete her PhD and offered advice to other female engineers thinking about continuing their education as Masters or PhD students.
Googlers and GLIDErs
during the panel discussion
At the event’s conclusion, the members held a group discussion session in which they brainstormed new ideas and goals for the new GLIDE community.
Founding GLIDErs at the Kick-Off Event
Following the event, we got some great responses from our now official GLIDErs. Many said they became further aware of their roles as women in engineering, and that they felt more motivated after the event to encourage other people to pursue careers in computer science. Participants made strong connections with one another, and many walked away with a goal of becoming a role model to other women in the field.
Bringing together individuals from all over the world with various backgrounds, experiences and cultures is the best way to brainstorm and create entirely new ideas and products that best serve the global community. We hope that this kick-off event provided an opportunity for the GLIDErs to directly interact with Googlers, and realize the value and importance of their presence in the world of engineering. We look forward to their future endeavors and accomplishments!
For those who are interested in learning more about the GLIDE community, visit the GLIDE Google+ Page.
Yumi Oishi, People Programs Specialist
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