Female students participate in the second phase of the Women’s Programming Marathon
Five undergraduate students represented IMPA Tech in the national round of the competition
Five female students from IMPA Tech participated in the second phase of the Women’s Programming Marathon (MFP), held in person at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp). Cristiane Sampaio, Débora Tami Yamato, Gabriela Naomi Ichicawa Ogido, Lisandra Menezes Fagundes, and Marce Alves da Silva were among the 130 competitors who qualified for the national stage of the competition.
Organized by the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) and supported by the Institute of Computing at Unicamp, the MFP is aimed at students from high school through graduate school and seeks to encourage women’s participation in programming, thereby helping to reduce gender inequality in the field of technology.
In addition to the competition, the final stage featured a technology immersion program, which included presentations by sponsoring companies, networking opportunities, and activities designed for the participants. For Cristiane Sampaio, the experience was an opportunity to expand her network and meet other students interested in programming.
“We didn’t win any medals in the Marathon, but the experience was great for meeting other girls from Brazil and Latin America who are interested in programming. It was an opportunity to network; we also got to talk with representatives from companies like Morgan Stanley, Enter, and BTG who were speaking at the event,” said the student.
Participation in the second phase continued the experience that began in June, when IMPA Tech was one of the 66 local host sites for the first stage of the MFP. At that time, 24 students took the exam on campus, including 12 IMPA Tech students and other participants from UFRJ, UFF, FGV, and Colégio Pedro II.
“I found the exams quite challenging, but also a lot of fun, and I was pleased with my performance. However, the second phase of the MFP was a very valuable experience, not only because of the exam itself, but also because of the sense of community it fostered,” said student Gabriela Ogido.
The participation of IMPA Tech students in the various stages of the competition helps encourage women to get involved in programming activities and fosters the development of a community of young women interested in technology.
