FEU Tech ACM's Into the Code: F++ sails again this year for inclusivity in the tech industry

FEU Institute of Technology Association for Computing Machinery Student Chapter, in collaboration with company sponsors and partner organizations, held a three-day event in celebration of Women's History Month. Now in its third year, Into the Code: F++ is back with the theme: “Women Shifting Paradigms and Sailing Impossibilities”, in recognition of the women who dared and transcended history. The said event was spaced out through March on three separate dates: March 5th, March 9th, and March 16th.

To cope with the ongoing precautionary measures against COVID-19, the event continued to operate virtually through the video-sharing platform called Zoom. With FEU Tech ACM's Geraldine Sophia T. Quizon as its project head, the event once again was successfully conducted through a series of workshops, webinars, and competitions that aimed to empower women and celebrate their myriad of accomplishments in the field of technology.

“In the past, men have undoubtedly controlled and dominated fields related to the constant development of technology. This was the case decades ago, and many people in the technology industry assumed it would continue to be the case in the future.” -Geraldine Sophia T. Quizon

Persevering to push forth in their ideals and aspirations to eliminate gender inequality in the technological field, FEU Tech ACM's Into the Code: F++ 3.0 featured a stellar line-up of speakers such as Ms. Fiona Tang, the COO of Realtair, an Australian proptech company; and Ms. Angeline Tham, the founder of Angkas, a motorcycle ride-hailing app. These women spoke lengthily about the pressing gender issues in the male-dominated tech field. Also among the roster of speakers were Engr. Kelly Sagabaen, who discussed the wage and opportunity gap in the field; Ms. Nikka Boquio, who educated the youth on how to determine their calling in computing; and Ms. Genevieve Puno and Ms. Chai Obispo from Investree, who enjoined the participants to make inclusive spaces for everyone in tech. These webinars took place on March 5 and March 16, along with workshops on March 9, led by Ms. Atcha Abe and Ms. Hannah Carpio, about the basics of UI/UX Design and Front-End frameworks.

FEU Tech ACM has also launched two competitions - a photography competition and an essay writing competition that invited participants to show their unique perspectives regarding the themes, “Empowering Moments of Women in Technology” and “Breaking the Glass Ceiling as a Student in Tech”, respectively. These competitions were in line with the event's advocacy to enlighten both the participants and the audience's perception of the current issues women face in the tech industry. The submission for the said competitions ran until March 11, and the participants with the most impactful works were announced and recognized on the final day of the event. Certificates and cash prizes were awarded as tokens of appreciation for their efforts to champion the event's cause.

Into the Code: F++ 3.0 would not have come to fruition if it weren't for the GOLD SPONSORS - F(DEV) Digital Foundry, Indra Philippines, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Investree Philippines, and Nezda Technologies, Inc, as well as the event's BRONZE SPONSORS - Realtair Inc. and ClinkIT Solutions. The event's official media partners are INQUIRER.net, InqPOP, ASTIG.PH, and TechKuya. The event was also made possible through the support of their partner organizations from different universities in the Philippines.

The series of events of Into the Code: F++ were all free of charge and were open to students and young professionals. For inquiries, please visit the event's official Facebook page Into the Code or email feutechacm.secretariat@gmail.com. You may also read the event's official primer at http://bit.ly/ITCF3_PRIMER.