On October 12, student nonprofit organization B(U)ILT hosted a housewarming social in their new office, located in Siebel Center Room 0212. The organization strives to act as a strong support system for minorities in computing-related fields while seeking to improve diversity in the workplace.
Written by Caitlin Renwald
The Computer Science student group B[U]ILT welcomes new members at their housewarming.
Siebel Center for Computer Science now has a dedicated space for minority students studying computing-related fields.
On October 12, student nonprofit organization B(U)ILT hosted a housewarming social in their new office, located in Siebel Center Room 0212.
B(U)ILT stands for Black, (Underrepresented), Indigenous, and Latinos in Tech. The organization strives to act as a strong support system for minorities in computing-related fields while seeking to improve diversity in the workplace.
The housewarming event allowed participants to decorate the B(U)ILT office, meet other minority students studying computer science, and network with CS professors.
Thirty students and eight professors attended the kickoff event.
“B(U)ILT having a dedicated space is incredibly important in providing a community of support for underrepresented students in tech fields. For many of these students, they are one of a few, or sometimes the only face that looks like them in a classroom. The B(U)ILT room is instead a place prioritizing inclusivity where they can feel like they belong, ” said freshman CS student and B(U)ILT board member Thalia Gonzalez.
Photo Credit: University of Illinois / Holly Birch Photography
Carolyn Hughes
The new office space will allow the group space to meet with classmates to study and to host social events and professional workshops. B(U)ILT will be hosting a resume workshop with Bloomberg on November 7 from 7:30-9 p.m. and an event with Uber sometime in late November.
“Our goal is to be a support system for the underrepresented students in our community. We aim to continue to grow and support the community to become more diverse and inclusive while helping them be successful in pursuing their careers in computing,” said Carolyn Hughes Program Coordinator of Broadening Participation in Computing.
To register for upcoming workshops or to see a schedule of upcoming events, please email B(U)ILT at cs-built@illinois.edu or join their Slack channel.