OCWiC Celebrates 20 Years of Supporting, Celebrating, and Advocating for Ohio’s Women in Computing!

By Ashley Kline-Tozzi OCWiC ACM-W Vice President and 2025 Celebration Chair

For twenty years, the Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWiC) – An ACM Celebration has been focused on inspiring women to expand their awareness of career possibilities and learning from women leaders in business, industry and academia.

This year’s event took place February 21st & 22nd at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio with a total of 254 attendees. Funded by over 20 sponsors, 165 students received scholarships that covered the registration, lodging and meals. The complete sponsor list can be found here: https://celebration.ocwic.org/sponsor-list/

Over the course of two days, attendees had opportunities to hear presentations from fellow students and computing professionals. Sessions ranged from lecture format to hands-on learning opportunities. They participated in a resume session where volunteers met one-on-one with students to provide feedback on resume format, content and interview preparedness. Students were then able to share revised resumes with prospective employers during the career fair held the following day. There were multiple stories shared by attendees this year where they connected with companies in 2023 and either obtained an internship or were now in a full-time position with a sponsor company post graduation! Our goal is for students to leave the event with meaningful connections (and potential career opportunities), to feel more connected with each other, stay excited about their career path and become excited about their future in computing!

2025 programming included:

Keynotes by:
- Carol Smith, Senior Research Scientist @ Carnegie Mellon University inspired us to become advocates for ethical decision making throughout the software development life cycle during her talk on “Implementing Ethics in Emerging Technologies”
- Rumy Sen, Entrepreneur and Strategic Advisor to CxOs @ Deloitte challenged us to think deeply about “Disruption, Diversity and Ethics: The Trifecta in Technology that Shapes Us”
Time Capsule Ceremony Honoring 20 years of OCWIC
- Chairs from past celebrations placed objects to be preserved for future generations to discover in a Time capsule. Students were also invited to insert letters to their future selves. The time capsule will be opened in 10 years when we hold our 30th year of OCWiC!
- We thank the women who led the teams that made OCWiC possible:
  - Bettina Bair (2005, 2007)
  - Dr. Ellen Walker (2009)
  - Dr. Rachelle Hippler (2011)
  - Dr. Jodi Tims (2013)
  - Dr. Alina Lazar (2015, 2017)
  - Ashley Kline-Tozzi (2019, 2023, 2025)
Resume review session & career fair
- Students had an opportunity to receive 1:1 feedback on their resume structure and content from individuals in computing fields. They also received tips for interviewing effectively. Students left the session with an eagerness to apply the feedback to their resumes to then present to companies at the career fair the following. Students and reviewers alike find this to be one of their favorite sessions – the one on one time is valuable.
Poster Session
- 18 students shared their research and received feedback on poster content and delivery of presentations.
Student short-talks
- This is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate research students to share details about their research projects. They submit an abstract in advance to be reviewed for selection for the program. This year, projects ranged from K-6 technology outreach program to leveraging gamification to learn sign language. A total of five student presentations were given.
Panels and other presentations from representatives in the computing profession ranging from tech talks touching on IoT, use of AI and many other topics to preparing for the workplace through understanding Agile development practices and making self-centered career moves.

As day two of the celebration came to a close, it was evident that the goals of the event were met. Students learned new concepts about AI and ethics, how to make intentional (and self-centered) career decisions to name a few. They had meaningful connections with representatives in the computing community through resume review, career fair, presentation Q&A or by organic conversation in the hallway. There were countless times the celebration committee overheard attendees expressing excitement over something new they learned, who they met from a company and how excited they were to attend the next celebration. Attendees, student and professional alike, left the event feeling energized about the future. People felt a high level of encouragement and support to continue pursuit of a career in computing technology. On behalf of the OCWiC celebration committee and the OCWiC ACM-W professional chapter, we look forward to building on the momentum of 2025 and creating an even better event – coming in 2027!

More information about OCWiC

The Ohio Celebration of Women in Computing (OCWiC) is a biennial event for women pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in tech. This is the flagship event of the OCWiC ACM-W professional chapter (https://ocwic.org) and is the longest running celebration of its kind. The chapter within itself is a state-wide community of women and men technology professionals from industry and academia. Membership consists of a core group of approximately 10 planning committee volunteers as well as hundreds of university student and professional celebration attendees. All members are focused on the chapter’s mission of:

Engaging and empowering Ohio women in computing by building community, celebrating success, and illuminating possibility.

The entire 2025 program can be found here: https://celebration.ocwic.org/program/