Trang Dang Wins Murray Center's Anne Wiley Scholarship
Trang Dang, a senior computer science major in the Ying Wu College of Computing, has been awarded the 2024 Anne Wiley Scholarship by NJIT’s Murray Center for Women in Technology. The award is given through nomination by deans or department chairs for exemplary service in support of advancing the representation of women in STEM fields.
Throughout her time at NJIT, Dang sought to use the opportunities afforded to her to find her fit and pursue a personal and professional career trajectory that would match an aptitude for excellence with a passion for making a difference.
She recognized early on that women were an underrepresented population in technology and chose to focus on exploring ways to increase awareness and interest for women to consider pursuing it as a viable future career.
“I began my freshman year as a business and information systems major but switched to computer science. Hang Nguyen (’22), a fellow student from Vietnam like me, was a CS major who introduced me to WiCS (Women in Computing Society). She and other WiCS members really inspired me to better address the shortage of women in computer science – or any tech area for that matter,” Dang said.
She is now the president of WiCS and represented the student organization at the Grace Hopper Conference, the world’s largest tech conference for women and nonbinary people, at the invitation of Professor Jim Geller, a champion for diversity in computing and the faculty member who nominated Dang for the scholarship.
“I was proud to be asked to attend Grace Hopper. My vision is to empower women and promote an inclusive atmosphere, here at NJIT and in industry. Professor Geller, WiCS and the whole NJIT community have made me feel welcomed and supported, and now I want to extend these feelings to others.”
Service outside of your major is another requirement for nomination, and Dang has also worked with the university’s Strategic Events and Conference Services , helping to coordinate various campus functions in addition to devoting time to community service.
Geller writes about Dang:
Some students have a natural drive to succeed and branch out and take on challenges outside of their comfort zones. I don’t think anybody can learn this or teach it. But I can recognize when somebody has the drive and am doing everything possible to support such students. Trang has that drive, and in addition she has mastered the subtle art of being persistent, yet never coming across as pushy. She is also a great communicator who never assumes that something is “obvious,” but always verbalizes her own plans and actions as well as her expectations of others. This makes her a perfect leader, and I am so happy that she has taken on the leadership of WiCS. When somebody “gives you good words,” you are never sure that they really mean it. But if somebody gives you the very competitive Anne Wiley Scholarship, then you know “it’s for real. You are great.” I congratulate Trang on this and all of her achievements. I am confident that we will see her do many amazing things in the future.
Dang is currently completing an internship with Meta/FaceBook, where she contributes to a platform that provides an aggregated view of organizational efficiency, highlights best practices and enables organizational leaders and efficiency experts to explore insights and take action.
Dang and WICs will be hosting the 2024 GirlHacks Competition, a 24-hour MLH (Major League Hacking) sanctioned, beginner-friendly hackathon that offers a supportive environment where diverse students can collaborate, learn and innovate. The competition will be held September 28-29 and is open to all college and high school students aged 18 and above. Register here.
GirlHacks is still seeking corporate sponsors. Interested companies should contact Dina Anello, executive director for external relations, at dina.m.anello@njit.edu or 973-596-5332. View the Sponsorship Packet.
