Amy Turcotte '02 says technology isn't just for buttoned-down nerds or the Bill Gateses of the world. Technology is not a scary abyss of abstract formulas and boring software coding. Rather, Turcotte thinks of technology as something flashy, and even fun.
“Some people think technology is hard, and it is when you're not familiar with it,” said Turcotte, an English major who minored in computer science. “But, it's not this dark mystery. It's a mystery that can be overcome.”
Turcotte is one of eight undergraduate students who recently completed a pilot technology mentoring program. The Verizon Scholars Program allowed Simmons students to spend the fall semester learning a variety of Web software tools, such as Dreamweaver, Adobe PhotoShop, and Flash. During the spring semester, the undergraduates met with 16 high school students once a week for 13 weeks to teach them the programs.
Funded by the Verizon Foundation, the Verizon Scholars Program aims to encourage these high school students — all attending Boston public schools — to pursue careers in information technology. Two Verizon employees and Simmons alumnae — Karen James-Sykes '80 and Suzanne DuBose '78 — were involved with the program from its inception and supported the students throughout.
Mathematics Professor Donna Beers heads the mentoring program and said it helps to chip away at the barriers facing women who enter the male-dominated technology career pool. Beers said many funding agencies, such as the Verizon Foundation, are concerned with the low participation rate of women in the sciences and technology.
“There's going to be an abundance of careers [in information technology], well paying careers, and a relatively low presence of women in those careers,” said Beers, who also heads the Honors Program. “We're opening up doors to young women.”
The high school students presented their completed Web projects at a special banquet in April. Each girl who completed the program received a brand new desktop computer, courtesy of Verizon.