Women in OMSCS Panel & Networking

Abstract

Grab some breakfast and join us for a panel featuring OMSCS students and alumni sharing their experiences as women in the program. Anticipated topics include:

• Motivations for enrolling in OMSCS
• Hurdles encountered during the program and how to overcome them
• Community building
• Mentorship and networking in virtual and hybrid learning environments
• Balancing growth, research, and entrepreneurial pursuits
• Nonlinear paths in tech

After the panel, time permitting, stick around to chat and network with the panelists, moderator, and other attendees!

**Due to capacity constraints, sign up is required to attend this panel.**

Panelist: Christina Boak

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Christina Boak is a 2025 graduate of Georgia Tech’s OMSCS program with a nontraditional journey into software engineering. She began her career with a BS in Geology, working at the USGS, serving in the Peace Corps in Panama, and later holding leadership roles in the landscaping industry. Motivated by a passion for problem solving and a growing interest in systems and embedded engineering, Christina enrolled in OMSCS to build the technical foundation needed to transition into this field. Focusing on computing systems exposed her to software as an integrated system and ultimately led Christina to her current work as a software engineer in embedded systems at Ciena. As a working mother, Christina has balanced family, career growth, and coursework, and she is passionate about mentorship and supporting others on nonlinear career paths.

Panelist: Allison Higgins

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Allison Higgins is a native ATLien passionate about technology, creativity, and community impact. Allison believes in making technology more accessible, easier to use, and part of solving real-world challenges. She pursues this through volunteer work, philanthropy, and her consulting firm, Kolor Koded Enterprises. Through Kolor Koded, Allison helps underrepresented minority entrepreneurs grow and succeed locally and internationally. She's a coder by day, but creative and community-focused at all times. Allison is a proud graduate of Clayton State University, where she studied computer science, and she's currently a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology continuing to expand her knowledge and impact.

Panelist: Cherie Lum

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Cherie Lum is a 2024 OMSCS graduate and Atlanta Local Meetup Group chapter head for social events, a role she held for four years. Since graduating, she has worked as a research scientist at Georgia Tech and launched a women-focused retreat. Cherie is passionate about community-building, inclusive design, and bridging research with real-world impact. An avid traveler who has visited nearly 30 countries, she draws inspiration from global experiences, including recent time spent in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Moderator: Bobbie Lynn Eicher

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Bobbie Eicher was among the students to join OMSCS in its first year, and was also among the original set of four OMS students hired to be teaching assistants. She was also the co-founder and then co-leader of the Nerdy Bones student organization for women in technology up until she graduated and joined Georgia Tech's Ph.D. program in 2016 to study artificial intelligence as a tool for learning, including interactive agents like Jill Watson. She has continued to work on program data collection and improvement since then, with an emphasis on expanding student opportunities to participate in research. To further expand on that goal, she became a member of Georgia Tech's research faculty in early 2024.