“Eyes Were Watching Me”: An Intersectional Exploration of Undergraduate Women’s Experiences in Computing Internships

• In Event: Exploring Workplace Learning: Session 1

Abstract

Internships are a common mechanism for undergraduate students to gain career information, experience, and make informed post-graduate decisions, especially in technical fields like computing. Understanding internship experiences thus provides useful insight into student career development and the evolving labor force, especially in the context of remote and hybrid work options. This qualitative study uses intersectionality as a theoretical framework and a longitudinal narrative design to understand how 40 undergraduate women experienced computing internships of varying modalities. Results illustrate how remote internships reduce logistical and financial barriers, how in-person internships shape women’s access to colleagues of shared identities (or lack thereof), and the positive and negative nature of invisibility in remote interactions.

Author

• Katie N. Smith, Temple University