In-Person: June 28th 2025
GirlCon X University of Illinois Chicago
GIRLCON X UIC
GirlCon 2025's in-person conference will be held at the University of Illinois Chicago on Saturday, June 28th! This is a completely free single-day event.
What's on the agenda?
2025 Conference Agenda
Note: Sessions are scheduled based on speaker availability and are subject to change
Note: Sessions are scheduled based on speaker availability and are subject to change
GirlCon 2025 - June 28th
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Chicago
8:30 am: Check-In + Booths
9:30 am: Opening Ceremony
9:50 am: Opening Keynote
10:35 am: Professional Development Sessions
12:20 pm: Lunch and Learn
1:20 pm: Tech x Sessions
2:25 pm: Innovation Challenge or
Women in Tech Panel
3:30 pm: Closing Keynote
4:10 pm: Closing Ceremony
4:30 pm: Photos
9:30 am: Opening Ceremony
9:50 am: Opening Keynote
10:35 am: Professional Development Sessions
12:20 pm: Lunch and Learn
1:20 pm: Tech x Sessions
2:25 pm: Innovation Challenge or
Women in Tech Panel
3:30 pm: Closing Keynote
4:10 pm: Closing Ceremony
4:30 pm: Photos
2025 In-Person Keynote Speakers
Hear from inspiring women to kickstart your career and gain the confidence to launch forward in tech and beyond.
- Melissa HarrisMelissa Harris has been a propulsion engineer at NASA for 8 years. She has built spacecrafts, loaded them with propellant, and sat console to send astronauts in space. She has a dream career & you can too!
- Kasey OdemwingieComing Soon!
GirlCon 2025 In-Person Breakout Sessions
Tech + AI: Dr. Hadis Anahideh
Dr. Anahideh’s research objectives center around Black-box Optimization, Active Learning, Machine Learning, and Algorithmic Fairness. She primarily seeks to develop innovative learning and optimization methodologies, which have potential utility for multiple fields within the engineering operations and design, and social systems. Anahideh recently joined UIC and teaches Data Science I and II. Prior to joining UIC, she worked in the Operations Research and Advanced Analytics Department at American Airlines as an OR scientist.
Tech + Fashion/Styling: Rachel J Styling
Explore the intersection of fashion and technology in this dynamic session highlighting how Celebrity and Personal Stylist, Rachel Jimenez Penca, uses technology to style and service clients all over the world. We’ll also discuss how emerging tools in 3D design technology are reshaping the industry—from concept creation to consumer experience.
Tech + Astronomy: Northwestern CIERA
Coming soon!
Tech + Biology: Maggie Wolff
Coming Soon!
Tech + Business Law: Motorola
Coming Soon!
Tech + Personalization: Sangeetha Parsan
Coming Soon!
Tech + Physics: Fermilab
Learn about America's largest particle accelerator facility and what it takes to keep it running! This session will cover daily operations, troubleshooting challenges, and the teamwork required to fulfill the role of Accelerator Operator. Erin Cook, B.S. Physics, is an Accelerator Operator II at Fermilab, where she supports every area of the lab's mission: to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time for the benefit of all.
Interactive Session: Personal Website Workshop with React
Coming Soon!
Interactive Session: DNA Modeling / Gel Electrophoresis
This session is an interactive introduction into wet lab research. You will learn about basic techniques through a short powerpoint presentation and then proceed to conduct a group activity in stations where we work together using science techniques to solve your own puzzles. It is led by Hiba Siddiqui: a cancer researcher, health equity advocate, and founder of the South Asian Heart Health Initiative (SAHHI). As a research technician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and a passionate STEM mentor and public speaker, Hiba has led national workshops on research, identity, and professional development. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Health Science and minor in Medical Spanish Interpretation.
GirlCon 2024 Professional Development Sessions
Resume Building
This session is geared towards understanding the differences between CVs and Resumes, as well as crafting both with three real scenarios. We will discuss structure, formatting, and purpose of each. Answer keys and handout will be provided. It is led by Hiba Siddiqui: a cancer researcher, health equity advocate, and founder of the South Asian Heart Health Initiative (SAHHI). As a research technician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and a passionate STEM mentor and public speaker, Hiba has led national workshops on research, identity, and professional development. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Health Science and minor in Medical Spanish Interpretation.
Breaking Into Cybersecurity
This session is about how you can build a powerful career in cybersecurity, from your first steps in high school to becoming a leader in the field. We’ll explore different roles, the skills that matter (spoiler: it’s not just coding), and how to turn your curiosity and passion into a career that protects people and shapes the future.
Mock Interviews
Reema Ghosh will be facilitating mock interviews for GirlCon 2025. With over 10 years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Reema brings a wealth of experience in interview skills and resume building. Reema is currently working in the Food and Beverage industry with a degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In her free time, Reema enjoys trying new restaurants in Chicago and beach days in the summertime.
GirlCon 2025 Innovation Challenge &
Women in Tech Panel
Women in Tech Panel
Innovation Challenge:
For our 2nd year in a row, GirlCon is working with CME Group and Google to put together an innovation challenge. A description of the challenge can be found here: CME + Google Innovation Challenge
Prizes for the Challenge Include:
* Sunil Cutinho, Chief Information Officer at CME Group to hand prizes to winners of the Challenge
* Google & CME Group to award a Certificate of Excellence to the winners of the Innovation Challenge which can be leveraged for college interviews & internship applications
* Have the opportunity to spend the day at the CME Group and Google offices (downtown and west loop) which include breakfast & tour with CME Group's CIO, followed by open-mic career conversations with women tech leaders and an office tour & lunch with Google women leaders.
Congratulations to the teams BreathEasy Paint and TrashTrek for winning the 2024 CME Group x Google Innovation Challenge!
For our 2nd year in a row, GirlCon is working with CME Group and Google to put together an innovation challenge. A description of the challenge can be found here: CME + Google Innovation Challenge
Prizes for the Challenge Include:
* Sunil Cutinho, Chief Information Officer at CME Group to hand prizes to winners of the Challenge
* Google & CME Group to award a Certificate of Excellence to the winners of the Innovation Challenge which can be leveraged for college interviews & internship applications
* Have the opportunity to spend the day at the CME Group and Google offices (downtown and west loop) which include breakfast & tour with CME Group's CIO, followed by open-mic career conversations with women tech leaders and an office tour & lunch with Google women leaders.
Congratulations to the teams BreathEasy Paint and TrashTrek for winning the 2024 CME Group x Google Innovation Challenge!
Women in Tech Panel:
Our Women in Tech Panel features female trailblazers in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship. They will be sharing their journeys on how they got to where they are today, any challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and answering questions as well as sharing advice with the GirlCon attendees.
Our panel features the following female figures:
Coming Soon!
Our Women in Tech Panel features female trailblazers in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship. They will be sharing their journeys on how they got to where they are today, any challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and answering questions as well as sharing advice with the GirlCon attendees.
Our panel features the following female figures:
Coming Soon!