Arianna Smith-Forte' - Attending Professional Networking Events (+3 Points) - Class of 2027

I attended the ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference in Atlanta, which brings together students and professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in computing. It was inspiring to be surrounded by people in tech who shared experiences like mine, and although starting conversations with strangers was challenging, it got easier each day. Several sessions on AI connected directly to my computer science coursework and to my translation work at Meta, especially the idea that diverse teams build fairer technology. Seeing so many professionals from backgrounds like mine made it easier to picture my own future in computing.