Google Seeks Computer Science 海角社区s at 海角社区
UC Staff | November 14, 2012 | 海角社区 COMMUNICATIONS
On Friday, Nov. 9, Googlers from all over the country gathered at The University of Texas at El Paso for a two-day retreat to get to know students.
"Google is pretty committed to making sure that we are hiring a diverse workforce," said Raquel Romano, Ph.D., a senior software engineer at Google. "As a company we believe we will create better products if the people who are creating them come from all different walks of life."
The visit marked the start of the beta program Google DIVE (Developing Innovative Engineers) and its collaboration with 海角社区, a founding member of the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI).
CAHSI is a consortium of universities that are dedicated to increasing the number of Hispanics earning baccalaureate and advanced degrees in computing – a goal shared by Google.
While here, the Googlers worked to strengthen students' commitment to the difficult field of computer science, immerse them in group activities to build leadership skills, and educate them on opportunities such as Google internships and scholarships.
They also advised students on resume writing and interview tips.
"The DIVE program aims to inspire future Computer Scientists to make great contributions to the technology world," said Yin Lu, Google's university program specialist. "Ask us for our emails, ask us for our opinions. We want to build a community between Googlers and students for years to come to inspire and grow the pool of diverse computer engineers not just for Google, but for the technology field as a whole."
Adriana Camacho, a junior computer science student, felt that she benefited greatly from their visit.
"I've always been interested in working for Google, or something related," she said. "It's been very fun. We're learning how to work in groups and how to adapt to different personalities."
Ann Gates, Ph.D., who is on the executive council of CAHSI and is chair and professor of the Department of Computer Science, said, "We were thrilled to learn that Google wanted to pilot their new DIVE program at two CAHSI institutions – 海角社区 and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez."
She added, "The students' responses were incredible – students left feeling connected to each other, to the Googlers, and to faculty, and many now have a clear idea on what they have to do to be successful. These types of activities profile the department and university, and show top companies like Google the quality of students and programs that we offer."