vkmc · March 30, 2015 19:51 · jhaakshita27 · Apr 25, 2023 · vkmc · Apr 25, 2023
diff --git a/GHC Essay - Victoria Martinez de la Cruz b/GHC Essay - Victoria Martinez de la Cruz
 I heard about the Grace Hopper Celebration during my GNOME Outreach Program for Women [1] internship [2] and I has been interested in attending since then. The following reasons have motivated me to apply for a scholarship.

 From the time I started college I have been curious by the fact that women in computing in my home country are hard to find, and that there is little being done by local organizations to change this. I believe that change has to start somewhere, so I have been trying to spread the word about some of the available opportunities - like OPW and Rails Girls Summer of Code (RGSoC) [3] - between women in my college with some success. I've also presented a publication about my OPW experience [4] in the 42nd JAIIO JSL [5], a national conference that gathers researchers and professionals in FOSS from many important universities and companies across the country. I'm looking for more ways to encourage women to join computer science careers and jobs in my country, and I'm certain that GHC is the perfect place to learn about this. Meeting women with my same interests and being able to share ideas with them will allow me to expand my networks, thus helping me to bring back plenty of valuable information for women in my area. For this purpose I'm planning to write about GHC in my personal blog [6] and to organize some local meetups for all interested women nearby. I would also love to submit a talk about GHC in some local conference.

 Apart from that, I would like to add that I honestly admire all the work that is being done by the Anita Borg's Institute. I feel identified with the sisterhood's philosophy and I would really like to join them and to contribute with the effort of spreading the word about the importance of the women in computing and working on the creation of more opportunities for women around the globe. I cannot think of a better place to meet Anita Borg's community than GHC.

 Finally, I'm passionate about computer science and FOSS in general. I had the chance of participating in the OpenStack Summit 2013 in Portland and I must say that it was an enriching experience that allowed me to meet lots of people and learn tons of new things. I'm certain that GHC will leave me a similar sensation and it will contribute with my personal growth, expanding both my knowledge and my experience in the field.

 Receiving a scholarship will make all this possible as I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise.

 [1] https://gnome.org/opw/
 [2] https://wiki.gnome.org/OutreachProgramForWomen/2013/JanuaryApril#OpenStack
 [3] http://railsgirlssummerofcode.org/
 [4] Encouraging Women Participation in Free and Open Source Software Organizations: The GNOME OPW Initiative - http://www.42jaiio.org.ar/proceedings/simposios/JSL_Contribuciones.htm
 [5] http://www.42jaiio.org.ar/ [6] http://vmartinezdelacruz.com
	I heard about the Grace Hopper Celebration during my GNOME Outreach Program for Women [1] internship [2] and I has been interested in attending since then. The following reasons have motivated me to apply for a scholarship.

	From the time I started college I have been curious by the fact that women in computing in my home country are hard to find, and that there is little being done by local organizations to change this. I believe that change has to start somewhere, so I have been trying to spread the word about some of the available opportunities - like OPW and Rails Girls Summer of Code (RGSoC) [3] - between women in my college with some success. I've also presented a publication about my OPW experience [4] in the 42nd JAIIO JSL [5], a national conference that gathers researchers and professionals in FOSS from many important universities and companies across the country. I'm looking for more ways to encourage women to join computer science careers and jobs in my country, and I'm certain that GHC is the perfect place to learn about this. Meeting women with my same interests and being able to share ideas with them will allow me to expand my networks, thus helping me to bring back plenty of valuable information for women in my area. For this purpose I'm planning to write about GHC in my personal blog [6] and to organize some local meetups for all interested women nearby. I would also love to submit a talk about GHC in some local conference.

	Apart from that, I would like to add that I honestly admire all the work that is being done by the Anita Borg's Institute. I feel identified with the sisterhood's philosophy and I would really like to join them and to contribute with the effort of spreading the word about the importance of the women in computing and working on the creation of more opportunities for women around the globe. I cannot think of a better place to meet Anita Borg's community than GHC.

	Finally, I'm passionate about computer science and FOSS in general. I had the chance of participating in the OpenStack Summit 2013 in Portland and I must say that it was an enriching experience that allowed me to meet lots of people and learn tons of new things. I'm certain that GHC will leave me a similar sensation and it will contribute with my personal growth, expanding both my knowledge and my experience in the field.

	Receiving a scholarship will make all this possible as I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise.

	[1] https://gnome.org/opw/
	[2] https://wiki.gnome.org/OutreachProgramForWomen/2013/JanuaryApril#OpenStack
	[3] http://railsgirlssummerofcode.org/
	[4] Encouraging Women Participation in Free and Open Source Software Organizations: The GNOME OPW Initiative - http://www.42jaiio.org.ar/proceedings/simposios/JSL_Contribuciones.htm
	[5] http://www.42jaiio.org.ar/ [6] http://vmartinezdelacruz.com