# About

## Our Mission

CS KickStart aims to generate more pursuit of technology amongst women and other minority groups to improve the lack of representation and access to the tech industry. We host a week-long summer program that introduces participants to a wide range of industry opportunities, foundational programming concepts, and a supportive community that promotes diversity in tech.

## Why does CS Kickstart exist?

Girls are naturally just as interested in computer science as boys, but as they grow up, they are increasingly less likely to pursue tech roles. According to McKinsey, an American worldwide management consulting firm, "tech companies concentrate 66% of their philanthropic funding on K-12 programs, compared to 3% on college-level programs." As a student-run organization, we are passionate about making a difference and seek to reach as many people in order to minimize disparities that exist in the tech industry.

<figure><img src="https://cs-kickstart.berkeley.edu/imgs/mckinseystats.svgz" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Our program helps close the gender gap by creating a supportive community, providing female role models to participants, and giving resources to allow woman to succeed in the tech industry,

## Our Program

CS KickStart is a one week introductory course for incoming women at UC Berkeley who are interested in math, science or engineering. Participants come to universities a week before Freshmen Orientation to participate in a unique set of activities. Students will learn how to program, find out about the various domains of computer science, and meet computer science students and professionals. We offer this program free of charge to students. Participants will be housed on campus and will experience a variety of activities including:

* **Programming Labs**: During the computer programming labs, students will acquire basic computer programming skills and work on a team project.&#x20;
* **What is Computer Science**: To develop students' understanding of computer science, we will host a series of talks from "How computer science is going to save the world" to one hour lectures about computer security, computer graphics, computer systems, computational biology and data management.&#x20;
* **Who are Computer Scientists**: Alumnae working in industry and academia will visit our program to talk to students about their jobs as a computer scientists.&#x20;
* **Life in College**: Formal information sessions as well as informal mentoring will allow participants to learn from current undergraduates about utilizing campus services and navigating within the computer science major and minor.&#x20;
* **Field Trip**: Students will visit one or multiple companies to explore example work environments for a computer scientist.&#x20;
* **Social Activities**: In addition to the daily activities, students will participate in a number of social activities led by current undergraduates (e.g. ice cream social, game night) to create a network of students that together may promote a climate of inclusion within the department.


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