Ashley's Opportunity Corner 💗
Want to attend GHC? ✈️
I attended the Grace Hopper Celebration through the Kamala Scholars Program, and I put together the links + application advice I wish every student knew before applying. 🥹💗
— Grace Hopper
Applications are currently open.
🚨 PUT THESE ON YOUR CALENDAR
Three dates that matter. Don't miss them.
AnitaB.org Kamala Scholars Program
AnitaB.org
September 8, 2026
11:59 PM ET
Citadel Grace Hopper Celebration Travel Grant
Citadel
September 25, 2026
Notified by October 5, 2026
Grace Hopper Celebration 2026
October 27–30, 2026
Anaheim, California
💡 Tip: Set a phone reminder 3 days before each deadline so you're not rushing at the last minute.
AnitaB.org Kamala Scholars Program
This is SO much more than a free trip to GHC. 💗
The Kamala Scholars Program is a year-long opportunity created to provide resources, mentorship and access to Grace Hopper Celebration for Black and Latine students pursuing technical computing fields.
Each year, AnitaB.org welcomes 125 students into the program.
What do you receive? 🎁
Fully Funded GHC Travel
Fully funded travel, lodging and transportation to attend Grace Hopper Celebration.
10 One-on-One Coaching Sessions
Scholars receive 10 individual career coaching sessions focused on professional growth.
One Year of Membership
One year of Premium AnitaB.org Membership, giving scholars continued access to professional development resources and community beyond GHC.
A Cohort of 125 Scholars
Each year, 125 students are welcomed into the program.
What could one year of support do for you?"
Could this be for you? 👀
- 🎓3rd or 4th year undergraduate student
- 💻Pursuing a technical computing field
- 💗Black or Latine student
- ✈️Able to attend GHC 26 in Anaheim, October 27–30, 2026
- 🤝Able to participate fully in required coaching sessions
- 📝Able to complete required program surveys
📅 DEADLINE: September 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
🌎 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is not listed among the published eligibility requirements on the current Kamala Scholars page. That does NOT automatically guarantee eligibility for every international student, so check the official application requirements for your individual situation before applying.
Before you start writing... 💌
Your application should help them understand why."
You do not need to write the most impressive application.
You need to write an application that helps someone understand YOU.
- Your background.
- Your curiosity.
- Your relationship with technology.
- Your community.
- What you are still trying to figure out.
- What you hope to become.
- Why this experience matters NOW.
Do not try to sound like LinkedIn.
Write like a thoughtful version of yourself.
💗 My Application Tips
15 things I wish I'd known before applying.
Why technology?
Don't stop at:
That could belong to anyone. Ask yourself:
- • WHEN did technology become meaningful to me?
- • Was there a particular project? A class? A person?
- • A problem? Something my family experienced?
- • Something my community needed? Something I wanted to change?
Then ask WHY again.
"I love software engineering."
↓ WHY?
"I love building things."
↓ WHY?
"Because I can turn an idea into something real."
↓ WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
"Because I have seen people in my community struggle to access _____, and building technology gives me a way to do something about it."
THAT is where the personal story begins.
until you reach an answer that someone else could not simply copy and paste into their application.
What has being Black or Latine in tech actually meant to YOU?
Do not simply write:
Those statements may be true. But what made them true FOR YOU?
- • Have I ever been one of very few people who looked like me in a technical classroom?
- • Have I ever searched for a mentor who understood both my ambitions and my background?
- • Did I grow up seeing people like me represented in technology?
- • When was the first time I met a Black or Latina engineer, researcher, founder or technical leader?
- • Did seeing that person change what I believed was possible?
- • Has my family understood the world of technical internships, recruiting and conferences?
- • Have finances, language, immigration, geography, family responsibilities or cultural expectations shaped my path?
- • Has my identity influenced the problems I care about solving?
Why do you need to be IN that room?
💗 GO DEEPER — What would it actually FEEL like?
- If you have spent years being one of the only women in technical spaces... what could it mean to suddenly walk into a convention center filled with people building and shaping technology?
- If you rarely see Black or Latine technologists in leadership... what could meeting them change about what you imagine for yourself?
- If technology has sometimes felt lonely... what could finding community do for your confidence?
- Could you meet someone only two or three years ahead of you and suddenly see a path you didn't know existed?
- Could one conversation change the internship you apply for? The research area you explore? The company you discover? The product you decide to build?
Think about the other Kamala Scholars 👯♀️
If selected, you won't experience this alone. You will be one of 125 scholars.
That means potentially meeting 124 other Black and Latine students building their own paths through computing.
- • What could I learn from them?
- • What experiences might we share?
- • What perspectives might be completely different from mine?
- • What can I contribute to the cohort?
- • What questions would I love to ask another scholar?
- • What relationships would I hope to continue after GHC?
"Networking isn't only: What can this person do for me?
It can also be: What can we learn from each other?"
Maybe someone you meet becomes:
Do not promise these outcomes. Frame them as possibilities.
Don't forget about the YEAR after GHC.
10 ONE-ON-ONE CAREER COACHING SESSIONS
Don't simply say:
What do you actually NEED mentorship for?
Tap any that resonate:
"Imagine session #1 and session #10. What would you want to be different?"
SESSION 1
Where am I now?
SESSIONS 2–9
What am I actively working toward?
SESSION 10
Who am I becoming?
A strong application can explain not only that mentorship would help, but HOW the applicant would intentionally use it.
🔎 Research GHC Intentionally
Don't treat GHC like a generic conference. Know what you're applying to.
Know what you're applying to. 🔎
Do not treat GHC like a generic conference. Research the actual 2026 experience.
Tap each card to learn more:
🎤 Research the speakers
Research the current GHC 26 speakers and identify someone whose work genuinely connects with your goals.
Currently announced speakers include:
Sinead Bovell
Futurist, Founder of WAYE and Opening Keynote Speaker
Kara Swisher
Author and Closing Keynote Speaker
Michelle Zatlyn
Co-Founder, President & Co-Chair of Cloudflare
Telle Whitney
Women-in-Tech pioneer and Co-Founder of Grace Hopper Celebration
Do NOT name-drop.
"Only mention a speaker if you can explain WHY their work connects to you."
Example framework:
"I am particularly interested in hearing from [NAME] because [WHAT THEY WORK ON] connects to my interest in [YOUR INTEREST]. I hope to better understand [SPECIFIC QUESTION]."Find the session you would actually sit in the front row for 👀
GHC 26's session catalog includes technical, career, leadership and culture-focused programming, with additional sessions being added as programming is finalized.
What topic would make you immediately save a seat?
When possible, identify a CURRENT confirmed session that genuinely connects to your goals. Then explain:
- • WHY that session?
- • What question do you hope it answers?
- • How would you use what you learn afterward?
IMPORTANT: Never invent a session title.
Because GHC programming is updated over time, use the official catalog.
What would YOUR Braindate be about? 🧠
GHC's Braindate experience allows attendees to schedule knowledge-sharing conversations with other attendees, either one-on-one or in small groups.
"If you could have a 30-minute conversation about ANYTHING with another person at GHC, what would you choose?"
Now ask: What could YOU contribute to that conversation?
This turns "I want to network" into a real plan.
Don't just say 'I want to meet companies.' 🏢
The GHC Talent Expo connects attendees with employers hiring for technology roles, including AI and emerging technology opportunities.
- • Which organizations genuinely interest me? Why?
- • What teams or technical areas?
- • What questions would I ask an engineer? A recruiter?
- • What do I want to understand about their culture?
- • What skills do I want to learn employers are prioritizing?
❌ "I want to get an internship."
💗 "What information or relationships could help me make a smarter career decision?"
Be curious about what people are BUILDING. 🤖
The Tech Expo focuses on AI and emerging technology and includes partner activations, demonstrations and hands-on showcases.
What technology are you genuinely curious about?
- • What would you love to see demonstrated?
- • What technical question would you ask?
- • Could seeing a technology in person influence a class you take? A research topic? A side project? Your graduate studies? The industry you enter?
Think beyond recruiting. 💗
The GHC Community Lounge provides opportunities to meet AnitaB.org Local Community leaders and Members and learn about ways to stay engaged throughout the year.
Connect this to Kamala Scholars:
The scholarship includes a year of Premium AnitaB.org Membership.
"How could I continue participating in this community AFTER the conference?"
This is another way to demonstrate that you understand Kamala Scholars is a year-long opportunity.
Who benefits when YOU come home? 🌱
Think beyond what YOU receive. Could you:
- • tell classmates about opportunities you discovered?
- • mentor a younger student?
- • bring resources to a campus organization?
- • organize a workshop?
- • introduce students to a new technical resource?
- • build something inspired by what you learned?
- • help another Black or Latine student find their place in tech?
"If AnitaB.org invests this opportunity in me, how could that impact continue beyond me?"
Small acts of community impact are valid too. You don't need to start a nonprofit or massive initiative.
✍️ Writing Your Application
Specific beats impressive. Always.
Specific beats impressive.
Teach yourself the difference.
GENERIC:
"As a Latina in technology, representation is very important to me."
DEEPER THINKING:
When did you first NOTICE representation? Where were you? Who was in the room? How did you feel? Was there a specific person you saw? What changed afterward?
GENERIC:
"I am passionate about using technology for social impact."
DEEPER THINKING:
What problem? Who experiences it? When did you first notice it? Why do YOU care? What have you already tried to do about it?
GENERIC:
"I want mentorship."
DEEPER THINKING:
What decision are you currently struggling to make? What skill are you missing? What question do you wish you had someone to ask? What would progress look like after one year?
Your accomplishments need CONTEXT.
Don't write:
Instead ask: Which ONE or TWO experiences best explain:
- • what I care about?
- • how I lead?
- • what problem I want to solve?
- • how I've grown?
- • how I serve other people?
Then tell the story behind those experiences.
Your resume can carry the list.
Your essays should carry the meaning.
Please sound like yourself. 🥹
You do not need huge words. You do not need to sound like a CEO. You do not need every sentence to be perfect.
You need the reader to understand YOU.
- • What would attending GHC mean to the younger version of me?
- • Who helped me get here?
- • Who am I hoping to become?
- • What scares me? What excites me?
- • What is something I believe about technology because of what I have personally experienced?
- • What do I wish someone had told me when I first entered tech?
Then write from THERE.
Someone else can study your major.
Someone else can have similar internships.
Nobody else has lived your exact story.
Tell that story. 💗"
✨ TRY THE 5-WHY TEST
Write one sentence from your application. Then ask yourself WHY.
Write one sentence from your application:
WHY does that matter?
WHY is that personal to me?
WHY now?
WHY would Kamala Scholars specifically help?
"If your final answer feels more personal and specific than your first one, you're getting somewhere. 💗"
Your answers stay on your device only. Nothing is saved to a database.
🗺️ MAP YOUR STORY BEFORE YOU WRITE
Five boxes. One story.
What experience/background shaped me?
What problem, technology or community matters to me?
What actions have I already taken?
What access, mentorship, knowledge or community do I need next?
How do GHC + coaching + membership + the scholar community connect that gap to my next step?
"This creates a story instead of a list of accomplishments."
Before you hit submit... 👀
Check each box when you're ready.
Saved on your device only — no account needed.
Citadel Grace Hopper Celebration Travel Grant
Deadline
September 25, 2026
Notified by
October 5, 2026
Grace Hopper Celebration · October 27–30, 2026 · Anaheim, California
Citadel's Conference Travel Grant supports students currently pursuing bachelor's, master's and PhD programs.
Citadel says it is particularly interested in students in:
What Citadel's general travel grant provides:
⚠️ IMPORTANT
Citadel's general travel grant page says it normally covers a full-access conference pass, BUT specifically states that this conference-pass benefit EXCLUDES Grace Hopper Celebration.
Do NOT claim that Citadel pays GHC registration. Review the current terms carefully before applying.
What should you have ready? 📄
The current GHC grant application requests:
- ✓ Resume
- ✓ Education history
- ✓ Current or most recent employer information
- ✓ Relevant links showcasing academic or technical work
Examples provided by Citadel include:
💡 BEFORE YOU APPLY
Open every link you're submitting in an incognito/private browser. Ask:
- • Can someone understand what I built?
- • Is my GitHub README clear?
- • Does my LinkedIn match my current experience?
- • Does my portfolio explain my projects?
- • Are my strongest technical projects easy to find?
If you're eligible for multiple opportunities, apply to multiple opportunities. 💗
Keep looking for:
Do not assume any particular source currently has funding unless you verify it.
You found the opportunity.
You do not need to feel 100% ready before you apply.
Do your research.
Tell the truth.
Be specific.
Write from the heart.
Show them why this matters to YOU.
And please don't reject yourself before anyone has even had the chance to read your application. 🥹
Know someone who needs this?
Send them this page 💌
Tap to copy the link