A new vision for technology in Chicago

Sprinter Jessica Alba Breaks at Tech Chicago

This photo essay captures the Sprintternship experience of five UIC students in the spring of 2022 at Morningstar Inc. Photos by Jim Young of the UIC College of Engineering.

Dropout at Tech Chicago at the University of Illinois is changing the tech landscape in Chicago and fostering long-term relationships between students and local and national companies committed to gender equity. Its signature program, the Sprinternship, engages diverse tech talent at Chicago companies and invests in early career experiences and career paths for women and non-binary individuals.

“Sprinterships are successful when both employers and students get a greater return on their three-week human capital investment,” said Amita Shetty, director of BreakTech Chicago. “In the two years since developing this program, UIC’s Sprinters have become a meaningful part of developing technology skills. And previous years’ Morning Star Sprinters are serving as mentors to the next group of Sprinters. This effect is permanent.

“Sprintership, for many of our students, represents their first professional technology experience,” said Amelia Jackson, Associate Director of Career Development at Tech Chicago. “Team-based experiential learning puts them in the corridors of a company, an opportunity to explore a wide range of technology applications and learn from their mentors. That drive and sense of achievement is a powerful motivator to pursue a career in technology, which otherwise might not happen on its own.”

Victoria Zielinski, Chenille Lawrence, Jessica Alba, Nadia Time and Trish Lee.

I was hoping to get a better understanding of what software engineering is like in the real world so that I can get a feel for what areas I might be interested in. –Chenille Lawrence (She/Her), a UIC engineering junior studying computer science.

“Last summer, I took an introductory course in Python offered by BreakTech Chicago. It completely changed my life because from then on I started studying computer science. I have never experienced such love for something since I was a child. I first thought of myself as a computer scientist and engineer. So I decided to go with the flow and take the Sprintership. –Trish Lt (they/them/their), a UIC engineering junior studying information science with an emphasis in computer science.

“Although we learn a lot in the classroom, I wanted an opportunity to apply that knowledge and gain industry skills that I couldn’t in school.” –Jessica Alba (She/Her), a May 2022 UIC Liberal Arts and Sciences major in Mathematics and Computer Science.

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Jessica Alba, Nadia Time, Trish Lee and Anna Mukina.

“Morningstar is thrilled to be participating in the Sprintership for the second year in a row. As a woman and UIC graduate, I’ve experienced firsthand how much programs like Break Through Tech can help build confidence and a sense of ownership for minorities in our field. Real experience working as professional software engineers for our Sprinters’ goal.” This includes building skills in technical product development, planning and communication, as well as getting to know colleagues in a team and participating in office life.Anna Mukina (She/Her), Senior Manager of Software Engineering at Maledastar.

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“We got to participate in daily skits, Sprint reviews and retros, coffee chats and more. We really felt like we were a part of Morningstar.” –Trish Lt (they/them/their), a UIC engineering junior studying information science with an emphasis in computer science.

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No Taiym.

I hoped to learn as much as I could about Morningstar and expand my skills and knowledge through hands-on experience. Leading up to the last day of Sprinternship, I started thinking about Morningstar’s culture, how everyone is eager to not only learn, but to learn and help each other. –Nadia Time (they/them/their), a UIC engineering major studying computer science.

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Victoria Zielinski, Jim Jordan and Jessica Alba.

“Participating with the Sprinters was an exciting experience. Their enthusiasm and teamwork was contagious. Collecting data directly from consulting clients was the project. Enabling clients to enter this data themselves ensures that consultants can spend more time on meaningful interactions with their clients.”Jim Jordan (He/He), a prominent software architect in Maledastar.

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Trish Lee and Jessica Alba.

“I learned that communication takes a lot from a team. Making sure we were all on the same page while working on a challenging project helped us stay organized and come out with a fully functional financing application within three weeks. –Jessica Alba (She/Her), a May 2022 UIC Liberal Arts and Sciences major in Mathematics and Computer Science.

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Nadia Time, Chenille Lawrence and Anna Mukina.

“Everybody on the team recognized the different levels of experience we all had and worked to each other’s strengths, always leaving room for questions and helping each other along the way.” –Chenille Lawrence (She/Her), a UIC engineering junior studying computer science.

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Trish Leigh and Victoria Zielinska.

“Our team’s idea was to create a website for financial advisors and their clients to connect with each other online. At first, we felt like we had to tackle this task. But in the end, we were so accomplished and proud of our work that we were able to show everyone what we had created in three weeks –Victoria Zielinska (She/Her), a UIC engineering junior studying computer science.

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Nadia Time.

We’ve created a dashboard that stores user data such as retirement and savings goals for roughly a year. Leading up to our final presentation, I was confident in myself and my team and proud of what we had created. –Nadia Time (they/them/their), a UIC engineering major studying computer science.

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Victoria Zielinski, Trish Lee, Jessica Alba, Nadia Time and Chenille Lawrence.

“I came away knowing that it’s okay not to know everything. I’m in the tech industry, and I’m passionate about software engineering.” –Nadia Time (they/them/their), a UIC engineering major studying computer science.

“After the Sprinternship, I knew I wanted to study computer science because it helped me realize that the field is huge and has room for everyone in every way, and I felt like I fit in.” –Victoria Zielinska (She/Her), a UIC engineering junior studying computer science.

“The remaining challenge is ‘what’s next?’ It was knowing that. Thankfully, Morningstar offered me a 10-week tech internship after the Sprintternship, so I’m really excited about that. –Trish Lt (they/them/their), a UIC engineering junior studying information science with an emphasis in computer science.

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