Transcending Boundaries Scholarship

Transcending Boundaries

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 377,500 openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently. In 2022, statista.com reported that the US tech sector contributed nearly two trillion U.S. dollars to the country's overall gross domestic product (GDP), making up approximately 9.3 percent of total GDP.

 BUT: 

1. While women make up 47% of all employed adults in the US, as of 2022, they hold only 28% of computing and mathematical roles. (Women in Tech Network).

2. Black and Hispanic women account for 3% and 2% of the computing workforce. Black, Latina and Native American women (BLNA) representation in the tech workforce has declined by 10% from 2018 – 2022. (Reboot Representation)

3. The percentage of women in tech leadership roles has fallen to 28% in 2023. (Women in Tech Network)

4. Thirty-two (32%) percent of women in technical and engineering roles are often the only woman in the room at work. (Zippia)

 5. According to the American Association for University Women, girls have fewer role models to inspire their interest in these fields, seeing limited examples of female scientists and engineers in books, media, and popular culture. There are even fewer Black women role models in math and science.

We must disrupt the trend now.  We must employ multiple tactics to increase the number of girls and women pursuing tech education, attract and retain more women in tech, increase female leadership in tech and ensure, with the emergence of AI, we do not take steps backward in a representative workforce.

Mr. and Mrs. Calvin created the Transcending Boundaries scholarship to address the deficit in Black, Latina and Indigenous women in tech. However, they also know that tech enables economic mobility and can address issues of poverty and underemployment endured by our most vulnerable populations. The name - Transcending Boundaries – reflects the scholarship vision, which is to enable education to transcend the challenges of poverty, marginalization and the constructs of racism – the boundaries. The Scholarship enables Black, Latina and Indigenous women throughout the state of Indiana to pursue a tech education in the school of IT at Ivy Tech Community College. Through the enablement of education, we can intentionally create a representative talent pipeline for the tech ecosystem.  The Calvins are hopeful that this scholarship motivates the tech industry to take real measurable action to flip the script on racism and bias in tech – in hiring, in retention and with a ferocity!

The artwork for Transcending Boundaries Scholarship, funding Black, Latina and Native American women in Indiana to pursue tech credentials, was created by artist Rakshita Modugu. It is representative of how tech can indeed help students transcend the boundaries of bias and racism.