Chicago Tech Academy High School ended May by hosting its highly anticipated 4th Annual Little Black Dress Night. Women and men from across the city came to support the school and expose their students to a diverse network of professionals. While at mHUB, the guests mingled with members of the Young Women’s Leadership Society (YWLS) before kicking off the featured panel of emerging women in the tech industry.
Since 2011, YWLS has been dedicated to mentoring the next generation of young women in STEM. The organization supports the female students at ChiTech by providing resources to help mold them into future leaders in tech and entrepreneurship. At the event co-founder, Tiara Wheatley, expressed to the crowd that the road to this year’s Little Black Dress Night was rough and almost didn’t come to fruition. Numerous obstacles caused a strain on the event planning process, but that did not discourage her team. Gratefully, they were able to host the event with the support of the strong ChiTech community and sponsors.
Many people look forward to celebrating with ChiTech and YWLS each year. If you’d like to help them reach their 5th annual event, learn more on their website ChiTech.org/Donate. To see highlights from Little Black Dress Night 2018 and a special mini interview with one of the graduating ChiTech YWLS students visit the Sistas in STEM YouTube channel.
Event Speakers
Opening Address:
- Cassandra Black – Global Senior Lead (Diversity & Inclusion), Groupon
Emcee/Moderator:
- Meghan Dwyer – Reporter, WGN
Featured Panelists:
- Shaniqua Davis – CEO & Founder, Noirefy
- Julia Kanouse – CEO, Illinois Technology Association
- Kate Lynch – Co-Founder, Codeverse
- Christine Schoeff – SVP Talent & Development, Vibes
