On any given Tuesday evening in Tucker Hall, you can find a group of women helping their fellow club members and the local Williamsburg community to succeed in the fields of computer and data science.
Technically, the Society of Women in Computing is the women’s branch of the Association for Computing Machinery at the College of William and Mary. Computer science has historically been a male-dominated discipline, so creating spaces where women in the field can support and uplift each other is especially important. President Mary Midkiff ’27 shared her firsthand experience of how SWC has helped her feel more confident in her computer science coursework.
“Some computer science classes are just so heavy and stressful. Being able to always know someone in that classroom, especially a woman, is really helpful,” Midkiff said. “You’re able to work on stuff and talk things out with each other.”
Secretary Natasha Guharoy ’27 echoed this sentiment. As a data science major and finance minor, she frequently finds herself in academic spaces with a relatively lower proportion of women to men. SWC has helped her bridge that gap and find points of connection with the fellow women in her classes.
“I actually joined my freshman year because I wanted to see a community for people that were women in STEM, especially because the further you go down in classes, even within data science, it dwindles a little,” Guharoy said. “But the Society of Women in Computing has been so nice, and it helps me feel so much more comfortable because I do think I would be much more nervous without having a group.”
In addition to serving as a dedicated space for women at the College in computer and data science, SWC also engages in outreach to the local Williamsburg community through educational instruction at Matoaka Elementary School. SWC co-outreach chair Bibisha Acharya ’28 described the types of programs that SWC leads.
“We go to different elementary or middle schools and teach students about coding and introduce them to computer science concepts and robotics,” Acharya said. “In the robotics program, they’re specifically making LEGO robots and using block coding, and in the gifted program, we’re introducing children to simple coding concepts that they practice on their laptops.”
Co-outreach chair Ashley Escobar ’28 elaborated on the personal fulfillment that comes from working with local students.
“It’s a great thing to put on your resume,” Escobar said. “You also feel great about yourself afterwards,; like I just helped a bunch of kids learn something new. It’s a good feeling.”
Professionally, SWC offers workshops throughout the year centered on developing LinkedIn profiles and resumes, as well as taking headshots and developing summer project ideas to help build resumes. Midkiff mentioned that the club also teaches specific coding skills applicable to courses in computer and data science, including offering a GitHub workshop.
“Basically, we’re helping people understand what they should be doing alongside their schoolwork,” Midkiff said.
SWC also frequently invites successful alumni in the field to share career advice. Guharoy emphasized the value she has found in growing her professional network through these events.
“I look up to so many of the people from past years because they’re so well accomplished,” Guharoy said. ”They have these crazy cool internships, and they’re so vocal about how they went through the process. It’s a very nice space to grow connections in that sense, especially in computer science, where so many people need to understand networking.”
Besides career development, having a space with people who are primarily pursuing coursework in computer and data science is helpful for getting tips about classes. Both majors have relatively rigid structures, so understanding how prerequisites and course times interact can make planning schedules much easier. Escobar highlighted how connecting with SWC members has helped her during registration, especially at the start of the semester.
“I feel like they just give helpful resources and information that I wouldn’t know,” Escobar said. “I remember one day, during our interest meeting, we were talking about the CS professors and their pros and cons. So that was also informative for knowing what professors to take in the future and what classes, too.”
However, participation in SWC is not limited to computer and data science majors. Many members are minors in one of the fields, or are simply interested in incorporating coding into their future careers. Acharya stressed the broad nature of the organization.
“Honestly, it’s all inclusive. If you’re specifically interested in tech, I guess it would be best for you, but we invite anyone,” Acharya said. “You don’t have to be a STEM major; you could also just be someone who’s supportive.”
In the future, SWC hopes to expand its outreach program to closer elementary schools in order to improve accessibility for current club members, and is currently reaching out to middle schools as well. They also hope to work more directly with the Association for Computing Machinery at the College. However, Midkiff is happy with how SWC is currently acting as a space for women to bond with each other on campus.
“This semester has been extremely successful. It’s been amazing,” Midkiff said. “We’ve had a lot of people show up to our meetings, and everyone interacts and it makes me so happy. We had a game night the other night where we played Roblox Dress to Impress together, and that was so fun.”
Guharoy also emphasized the importance of connecting with classmates outside of a classroom setting.
“You’re like, ‘Wait, we’re all real people outside of academics,’” Guharoy said.
SWC meets variably on Tuesdays at 8 PM in Tucker 221. Further information on meeting times and locations can be found on their Instagram account @wmswc.
