Superposition is an organization aimed to help bridge the gender gap in STEM, Superposition started out in Oct. 2016 as Bay Area's largest all-women & non-binary hackathon. Since then they’ve had 4 hackathons, 484 attendees, and 119 projects. They also had 24 hours of programming, free food & swag, workshops, empowerment & community. Their events have been hosted at Uber, VSCO, and Horizons School of Technology.
Areetha Wong’s inspiration to start Superposition started with seven intensive weeks at Girls Who Code. It showed her the importance and strength of an all-girls environment. She knew and believed that every girl deserved to explore computer science and shouldn’t be kept out of those fields because of societal norms. So in order to help make these opportunities accessible to females, she started Superposition in 2016.
Stephanie Su joined the Superposition III organizing team after attending Superposition II and had an amazing and uplifting experience. She was then promoted to Superposition IV Lead Director a year later. Stephanie Su believed female empowerment does not stop after 24 hours and therefore Superposition had to be more than a 24-hour hackathon event. So under Stephanie’s leadership Superposition was able to become an international non-profit organization.
Expanding beyond 24 hours
As of March 2020, superposition has been doing more than just hackathons. In April 2020 they started a webinar series, hosted 35 events with over 3500 participants from 55 countries. In June 2020 they did some philanthropy work and fundraised 1,000 dollars for the Black Lives Matter movement and donated 400 PPE. They also started their Uber Mentorship program in June 2020, they are able to mentor girls in STEM with their partnership with Uber. So far there have been 80 mentee-mentor matches made so far. They started their chapter program and have 74+ Superposition chapters in 10 countries and 13 US states. This allows Superposition to make a local impact. Chapters also host workshops, connect with companies, teach STEM topics, and organize competitions. And to kick off the new year, Superposition hosted an EmpowHERment Conference in January 2021. It empowered young women to pursue leadership positions through 4 panels & 2 Keynote speeches. There were about 2550 registrations & 2500+ views. But wait, there’s more!
Want to be the next female making new discoveries in the STEM field? Well, you’re in luck. Superposition is hosting its fifth annual hackathon! Superposition V, the Bay Area’s largest all-female & non-binary hackathon, is going global from April 9-11! Attend for 3 immersive days of workshops, $4,500+ in prizes like iPads and gaming sets, and 4 unique project tracks: Female Empowerment, Sustainability, EdTech, and Inclusivity. You might be saying to yourself ‘I have no prior experience in hackathons or coding?’ Superposition V is open to individuals of all skill levels - 77% of our past hackathon attendees were first-time hackers and 35% were first-time programmers! With introductory workshops on web & app development, guided team-forming events, and supportive mentors, this is your chance to step out of your comfort zone and join us in #BreakingBoundaries. Register at https://bitly.com/sp5_DeborahU