What is it about?
This study looks at how a program created by Google and a Historically Black University helped students decide whether to go into tech careers, especially in computer science. The researchers wanted to understand why the program seemed to benefit international students more than African American students, even though most of the students at the school are African American. By talking to 27 students, the study explored how classes, mentorship, workshops, and other program activities influenced students’ confidence and career goals.
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Why is it important?
This study is important because it digs into why efforts to increase diversity in tech don’t always reach the students they aim to support, especially African American students. While many programs exist, few studies take a close look at how these programs are actually experienced by students, or why some students benefit more than others.
Perspectives
I think this work is valuable because it challenges tech companies and universities to think more carefully about how their diversity programs are designed and who they actually serve. It also offers practical suggestions to make future programs more inclusive and impactful for African American students.
Qingxia Li
Fisk University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Impacts of an Industrial Partnership with a Historically Black University on the Computing Career Decisions of Black Undergraduate Students, ACM Transactions on Computing Education, August 2025, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3764594.
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