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Overview
The Women in Tech at UCI Inclusive Networking (WITIN @ UCI) is an initiative of Women in Technology at UCI (WIT@ UCI). WITIN @ UCI was launched after the end of the first cohort of the LEAP program attendees and allies of women in technical roles. The main goal of WITIN @ UCI is to establish monthly sessions to maintain networking, ongoing communications, and support relationships across the UCI WIT community.
Mission
WITIN @ UCI’s mission is to create a supportive and inclusive networking group for people that identify as women in a technical role at UCI or allies of Women in Tech at UCI (WIT@UCI). The aim is to empower women through monthly social, educational and networking events.
Gain the opportunity to share
resources, knowledge and ideas through monthly networking meetings.
Connect with members across the UCI campus to mentor each other and create a sense of comradery.
Build confidence through educational and social engagement.
Embrace UCI WIT’s workplace motto of “Advance. Inspire. Empower. Act.”
Events
WITIN @ UCI events give you the chance to meet other women in technology, expand your expertise and discover new opportunities through the power of networking. Our WITIN events are held virtually from September to May. Events feature a subject UCI matter expert, UCI technology staff or technology leaders.
We are focused on expanding what a woman in tech is at UCI. If you work with technology as a project manager, digital marketer, business analyst, media specialists, etc. you ARE a woman in tech. We welcome all members, guests, and first-time visitors to these events. And yes, that includes men who are interested in being an ally and an advocate for women in tech!
Upcoming Events
*Registration requires an CampusGroups account. Faculty/Staff/Retirees activate your account here.
March
15Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Unit Testing vs. Feature Testing
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Speaker: Michael Millis
May
17Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
NASA, Keck, Diversity & Lovin’ UCI
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Join us for a session about an engineering scientist in a higher education academic setting, including her commitment to research, education, and embracing diversity on the UCI campus. This session is specially dedicated to the staff members at UCI that interacted with Dr. Chien along her academic journey on campus for the past 15 years.
Speaker: Dr. Yu-Chien (Alice) Chien (Director of Lasers, Flames & Aerosols, W.M. Keck Deep Ocean Power Science LAB Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
PAST Events
January
19Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Finding the Light: Mindfulness & the Power of Presence
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Join us as we explore ways to cultivate our wellbeing with mindfulness. Evidence-based practices will be shared, demonstrating how these methods can easily be integrated into busy lives, both at home and in the workplace.
Speaker: Dr Jessica Drew De Paz
November
17
Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Building a Data Culture (Utilizing a Community of Practice Framework)
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Speaker: Astrud Reed
September
15
Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
ChatGPT: Practical Applications for Technical Staff
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Speaker: Gary Arzumanyan
June
Thursday
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Spring Social (Past Event)
Mesa Court Tower, Conejo Suite, RM G554
Join us for WiTIN’s end of the year social gathering to network with the UCI Women in Tech community & allies. During this event we will talk about the initiative’s goals and reflect on its first year of inclusive networking sessions.
Light refreshments will be provided. This is an In-Person Event.
*Requires an CampusGroups account. Faculty/Staff/Retirees activate your account here.
April
Friday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Accessibility
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Speaker: Emily Young, OIT Support Specialist for the OVPTL IT team.
March
Thursday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Inclusive Teams
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation.
Speaker: Max Garrick, Assistant Director, Executive Application
Some of us are already part of a highly inclusive and collaborative team. For everyone else: what can we do about it? We’ll discuss tools that individuals and managers can use to create teams where people are heard, feel valued, and are inspired to contribute at their highest level.
February
Thursday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
DevOps in UCI Libraries
Hybrid: Library SL 570 iLab A & Library SL 571 iLabB (see map) & Zoom
Speaker: Ashley Burke, UCI Libraries Supervisor, DevOps.
DevOps is about teamwork. In the Libraries, we could see value in encouraging those who design and support the technical infrastructure to be a part of the world of application developers (and vice versa). Please join this session to hear what we thought would be better in this new DevOps unit, the challenges to make it work, and our successes in leveraging tools within Amazon Web Services (AWS).
January
Thursday
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Toastmasters: What’s in it for Me? (Past Event)
Virtual – Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation
Speaker: Sonali Jambhekar
In this session, Sonali Jambhekar will share her journey with Toastmasters International and how it has helped her in her personal and professional life and much more.
Along with sharing her experience, she will give a glimpse of what a usual Toastmaster’s meeting looks like and talk more about the Pathways educational program.
Organizers
Carolina Manel is a talented, experienced programmer with a passion to empower women in technology. In Spring 2021, she was one of six recipients of the Applause Program from Women in Tech (UCI WiT).
Being a Web developer in BioSci’s computing department, her role focuses on the daily operation, security, and development of the school’s web applications and sites.
Before starting at UCI, she worked in media agencies in U.S. and Mexico.
Caro’s desire to help Latinas led her to volunteer as the STEM coordinator for Dare to Dream: Get Educated!, a nonprofit, based in Chicago, that works with Latina girls to encourage them to study STEM-related fields.
In Sep 2021, Carolina was named one of the 40 leaders in her hometown Puebla, Mexico by her Alma Mater, the Universidad del Valle de Puebla (UVP).
At UCI, as a member of the Inclusive Excellence Climate Council for IT, her purpose is to bring more diversity, equity, and inclusion to the IT community. She also volunteers as a mentor for the Latinx Association’s mentor program.
Carolina is a UCI representative and Chair of the UC System-wide Women in Tech committee (UC WiT).
Lakshmi Arunachalam is the lead Library Services Platform(LSP) Administrator and a senior Business Systems Analyst at the UCI Libraries’ Information Technology Department. She is the chair of the LSP Coordinators Group which involves lead functional experts who manage the platform and the discovery services within the UCI libraries. She also serves in the Operations Team for the UC Systemwide Integrated Library Systems representing UCI.
She has over 10 years of experience in software development and administration, and she has been with UCI since 2017. She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and is certified in AWS and Microsoft technologies. She believes in continuous learning in this digital age and is passionate about the increasing diversity in STEM. She advocates for diversity, equity, exposure, and inclusion in tech for all members of the community.
Lakshmi’s passion for technology and leveraging the best of software is showcased in various applications she has built working across several departments within the libraries. Her values and principles stem from her modest upbringing as she shares her journey from Hosur, India to work for a startup company in the US as a software developer and now at UCI, demonstrating how her grit and support of others carried her throughout her career.
Regina Castleman is a technical and creative marketing professional with more than 10 years of integrated marketing experience. As the Marketing and Communications Manager at the UCI School of Biological Sciences, she spends her days making biological research come alive via mostly digital and web communications.
She believes in keeping up with emerging technologies and placing the human experience at the center of any marketing objective. In both her professional and personal life, she is guided by what she calls the “three p’s”: passion, purpose, and people. Regina is passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, the amplification and empowerment of women in tech, and creating better work environments for all to thrive.
She volunteers as the Digital & Web Outreach Chair for the UC system-wide UC Women in Tech (UC WIT), serves as the UCI School of Biological Sciences’ Sexual Harassment Advisor (SHA) representing staff, and volunteers as a mentor for the Latinx Association’s mentor program. When she is not working or volunteering, she enjoys reading about psychology and stoic philosophy and playing with her son, Lucas.
Angela Han is the Manager for Student Affairs IT, supporting all units and programs within the UCI Student Affairs Divisions, including the Student Center, Counseling Center, Student Center, Dining Services, Commencement, and Orientation.
Angela started her journey as an Anteater as a UCI undergraduate student in 2006, where she joined the Phi Sigma Rho sorority for women in STEM. During her undergrad years, Angelagot her start in technology working at the UCI Bookstore Tech Services, repairing computers and earning a CompTIA A+ certification in the process.
After graduating from UCI, Angela joined the Office of Information Technology at UCI and has been working at the university for almost 10 years. Now a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Angela is dedicated to helping to create and support applications that enrich student experiences on campus and further student success.
Srilatha Adurthi is an Application Developer in the Chancellor and Provost IT team, supporting mainly Academic Personnel, Senate, Office of Equal opportunities and Diversities, Student Abroad, Institute and Museum for California Art, and Alumni.
She started her journey with UCI OIT as an application developer in 2017.
She has a Master’s degree in Computer science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining UCI, she worked as an IT consultant at a cancer testing lab. She has over 12 years of experience in the IT industry.
The 2022 LEAP program organized by Shohreh’s team motivated her to become part of UCI WiT. Her goal is to support, encourage, and motivate women to stay strong, stay positive and work towards bringing equity for women in technology at UCI.
Stay Connected with Us!
Join our Women in Technology Inclusive Networking on LinkedIn and CampusGroups.
Code of Conduct
To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.
By joining and using this community, you agree to follow UC’s General Code of Conduct (PDF), as well as those of UCI and UCI WIT. Please read and follow these rules and guidelines for UCI WITIN.
Rules and Guidelines
- The monthly networking sessions are meant to stimulate conversation and not create contention. Please be considerate, respectful, and collaborative.
- Create an environment that enables psychological safety and is free from retaliation.
- All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, or offensive words and/or materials are prohibited. Do not say or write anything that you would not want the world to see or would not want anyone to know came from you.
- This is an inclusive group for the UCI community that identifies as 1) a woman in a technical role of any kind and/or 2) an ally supporting women in tech. Bullying, gaslighting or any behavior that does not honor and welcome members will not be tolerated.
Cover photo courtesy of #WOCinTech