Background

Iranians are among the most successful and well-educated immigrants in the US. Majority of them came to the US to pursue higher education at the graduate level. With 12,000 students registered every year in the United States universities, Iranians ranked 12th in 2017 among all nationalities, according to the International Institute of Education (IIE). With 81.1% of the students pursuing STEM degrees (highest percentage of any nationality), 75.8% of them in graduate schools (likewise highest percentage of any country) and 467 million dollars contribution to the US economy, they are first rank in graduate level STEM fields in the US compared to the students from other countries. Considering that in Iran, nearly 70% of university graduates in STEM are women (a higher percentage than in any other country), a large group of Iranian students immigrating to the US are women.
Despite the remarkable contributions of Iranian immigrants especially women, not only their representation has always been undermined, but also, they face extra challenges during their immigration process, their stay in the US, and career and professional life.
We, Iranian women in computing as part of a broad group of underrepresented immigrants in the US must be able to follow our passion and fulfill our full potential while being treated equally in an inclusive environment within the white-male dominated tech industry regardless of our gender and nationality.
We believe in the importance and value of community and support networks in growing as an individual and among the bigger community of immigrants. Having a strong community and support network of Iranian women in computing and their allies help our community grow stronger and have a better visibility and impact in the US tech industry.

History

Standing on the balcony of the Houston Convention Center, surrounded by Iranian women from across the country, we knew something special was forming. From that initial gathering at the Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) in 2015, the Iranian Women in Computing (IranWiC) community has grown to include active members in more than 86 cities from 39 states in the USA. As a nonprofit organization, we focus on supporting Iranian women in computing related fields, especially graduate students and professionals.
Iranian Women in Computing is now a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization which aims at building a strong network of Iranian women working or studying in different computing related fields in the US to improve their visibility and impact in the US tech community via mentorship, collaboration, exchanging ideas and resources and holding regular meetups.

Vision

IranWiC envisions a world where every person interested in Technology can have an equal chance to pursue their passion regardless of their gender and nationality. Particularly, we look upon a bright future for Iranian women in computing where they can have a major impact on the Tech community.

Mission

IranWiC’s mission is to:
– Connect, engage and support Iranian women in computing in the US.
– Empower them to fulfill their best potential as an individual and a community.
– Improve their impact in the tech industry.

We pursue our mission by:
– Building a strong community of Iranian women in computing and their allies in the US
– Introducing different programs including peer mentorship, networking events, and social media engagement