oSTEM 2013 at the Google NYC Office
February 6th, 2014 | Published in Google Student Blog
Google attends and supports many global conferences that celebrate diverse backgrounds and perspectives in the workplace. In today's post, learn more about Google on the ground at the 2013 oSTEM National Conference.
At the end of October, Google had the honor of hosting the 2013 oSTEM National Conference in our New York Offices. oSTEM stands for “out in science, technology, engineering and mathematics” and represents an organization dedicated to the community to identify, address, and advocate for the needs of LGBTQA students in STEM fields across the country. Each year the organization invites members to join together to celebrate their accomplishments through mentorship connections, networking opportunities and professional/leadership development. This is the third year the organization has hosted a conference, and it more than tripled its original size with 150 students joining us in our Google NYC office.
Throughout the two day conference, there were several inspirational speakers who all make a difference as an LGBTQA in their company and community. The attendees had a variety of breakout session topics that they could choose from, such as “Stand Up to Stand Out in the Job Market”, “How To Succeed In Academia While Being Out” and two Google led sessions on “Using the Cloud to make your life easier” and an Interview Workshop. “It was really inspiring to see the energy and enthusiasm in the room. There’s momentum around the LGBT movement -- we’ve struck a chord with the world -- because this is the human rights issue of our generation. So it’s cool to see students empowered, excited, and ready to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges” said Julio Alvarez, a Product Marketing Manager on the Google Drive team.
Working with oSTEM is one of the many ways that Googlers are involved in supporting the LGBT community. From volunteering with local organizations that support LGBTQ youth to 1,300-person-strong contingent at San Francisco Pride, Google’s LGBTQ community and their allies make up the Gayglers. What’s it like to be part of the Gaygler community? Ian Fette a Software Engineering Manager on the Gmail team who has volunteered at the past two oSTEM conferences explains that “It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone. It’s amazing how having a group like the Gayglers can elevate the visibility within Google of issues that affect our community, and how responsive our company has been both in setting internal policies and benefits and in lobbying for change externally as well. Google’s a great place to be.”
oSTEM’s conference represents a great opportunity for students to network, and think about the next step in their careers. For LGBTQ students, this comes with some additional concerns that others may not have to worry about. Emma Persky, a Software Engineer on Google Search, has been heavily involved with oSTEM for the past two years and offers a little advice for students contemplating a move into the tech industry - “Look carefully at companies before you choose to join one. Understand their approach to LGBTQ issues from a practical perspective (health insurance coverage for partners, same sex adoption time off, etc), a social perspective, is there an employee resource group are they active, and a policy perspective, what are their nondiscrimination policies like. It’s always OK to ask your recruiter these things.”
As a company, we take the areas that Emma raised very seriously. In December we were very proud that the Human Rights Campaign agreed by awarding Google a 100% on it’s Corporate Equality Index, a score we’ve received every year since 2007.
See you at oSTEM 2014!
At the end of October, Google had the honor of hosting the 2013 oSTEM National Conference in our New York Offices. oSTEM stands for “out in science, technology, engineering and mathematics” and represents an organization dedicated to the community to identify, address, and advocate for the needs of LGBTQA students in STEM fields across the country. Each year the organization invites members to join together to celebrate their accomplishments through mentorship connections, networking opportunities and professional/leadership development. This is the third year the organization has hosted a conference, and it more than tripled its original size with 150 students joining us in our Google NYC office.
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| Photo Credit: Emil D. Cohen |
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| Photo Credit: Emil D. Cohen |
Working with oSTEM is one of the many ways that Googlers are involved in supporting the LGBT community. From volunteering with local organizations that support LGBTQ youth to 1,300-person-strong contingent at San Francisco Pride, Google’s LGBTQ community and their allies make up the Gayglers. What’s it like to be part of the Gaygler community? Ian Fette a Software Engineering Manager on the Gmail team who has volunteered at the past two oSTEM conferences explains that “It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone. It’s amazing how having a group like the Gayglers can elevate the visibility within Google of issues that affect our community, and how responsive our company has been both in setting internal policies and benefits and in lobbying for change externally as well. Google’s a great place to be.”
oSTEM’s conference represents a great opportunity for students to network, and think about the next step in their careers. For LGBTQ students, this comes with some additional concerns that others may not have to worry about. Emma Persky, a Software Engineer on Google Search, has been heavily involved with oSTEM for the past two years and offers a little advice for students contemplating a move into the tech industry - “Look carefully at companies before you choose to join one. Understand their approach to LGBTQ issues from a practical perspective (health insurance coverage for partners, same sex adoption time off, etc), a social perspective, is there an employee resource group are they active, and a policy perspective, what are their nondiscrimination policies like. It’s always OK to ask your recruiter these things.”
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| Photo Credit: Emil D. Cohen |
See you at oSTEM 2014!