Growing up, I remember there being certain things people said girls just shouldn’t do. Girls shouldn’t talk back. Girls shouldn’t be bossy. Girls shouldn’t…the list goes on and on (I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of these, too).
The idea that girls couldn’t or shouldn’t do things never sat well with me. It bothered me and so I’ve made an effort to combat those stereotypes throughout my career. Girls should share their opinions. Girls should be leaders, and, most importantly, girls should do whatever they dream of.
Today, we’re seeing a generation of young women who are growing up to be empowered leaders of industry, entrepreneurs, and makers… all doing it their way. Women are turning traditional models of success on their heads and proving to be a force with which to be reckoned.
This is why I’m more than a little bit excited to share that Citrix partnered with a wonderful organization—Girls Who Code—to host a seven-week summer program focused on giving young women an entrée into engineering. Nineteen participants from the Miami area were treated to world-class educational programing: learning code, understanding tech, and exploring different opportunities.
Citrix believes strongly in the power of this program because women are an underrepresented group in tech. Did you know that among college graduates in computer science, only 18 percent are women? There’s a lot of work to do in this area and we want to be a part of the solution. For young women who are looking to enter the technology industry, it is important that they feel welcomed to contribute and provide fresh ideas without hesitation. And, one day, welcomed to Citrix!
This week, the program comes to an end and participants will graduate with new insights, new skills, and new friendships. It’s an exciting time and we were proud to be a part of it. Throughout the program, Citrix engineers met with the group to discuss how our products enable the extraordinary. We also invited all the girls to our Fort Lauderdale offices for a behind-the-scenes look at our dynamic workspace and to have wonderful mentoring session with our women leaders. It was fulfilling and impactful for all involved and only added to our optimism for the future.
Integrity, Respect, Curiosity, Courage and Unity are our values at Citrix. These are values we live every day in all that we do and values we believe will serve graduates of the Girls Who Code summer immersion program well. We’re looking forward to building a better future hand-in-hand with the communities we serve. Congratulations, girls! You’re going to do great things and we’re excited to see you learn, grow and make a difference.
