School/Division Division of Information Technology & Sciences 
Programs Computer Networking & Cybersecurity Major 
Class 2020
Pronouns She/Her/Hers
Home State Pennsylvania
Study Abroad Dublin, Ireland

Specialization

IT Systems & Infrastructure

Service Learning Trip

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Internship

Systems Engineering Intern at Palo Alto Networks in Santa Clara, CA

Post-Grad Job

Associate Systems Engineer at Palo Alto Networks in Santa Clara, CA

Can you talk about Womxn in Technology at Champlain?

I started attending the Womxn in Tech club in my first couple of weeks here at Champlain, and it was a really welcoming community. I wanted to grow that community, and I think we’ve done that. There’s a big gender gap in the tech field, and I want to improve that by reaching out to younger people and making the community more welcoming to women, people of color, and non-binary folks. We’ve increased attendance and are getting more women and young girls involved in Cybersecurity, which is really important to me.

You¡¯re involved with Techdren, right?

I’m part of the technical team for Techdren, a nonprofit started by Champlain students a few years ago that is centered around empowering women and giving students access to technology around the world. I’ve been helping to repair laptops we’ve received through donations, and installing educational software that tailors to whatever community we’re giving them to. This past January, I went on a trip to Zanzibar to deliver the laptops to schools and teach the students and teachers how to use them. It was a great and humbling experience, getting to see first-hand how technology can impact their lives and hopefully their future career prospects.

What off-campus internships have you had?

For my first internship, I worked at a pharmaceutical company as a technical intern, which was a really great experience. At the end of my sophomore year, I already had two years of major-related classes under my belt, which is not the case for a lot of other schools. After that, I interned at a cybersecurity company in California doing work on their firewalls. That actually turned into a full time position, so I’ll be working there as an Associate Systems Engineer after graduation.

There's a big gender gap in the tech field, and I want to improve that by reaching out to younger people and making the community more welcoming to women, people of color, and non-binary folks.
Emily Platz
Emily Platz, Class of 2020

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