A visiting college tour presented by Amazon Web Services stopped at Grand Valley on April 1 and highlighted the opportunities for women in the fields of computer science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and information technology.

The Women of Cloud tour connected technological leaders, educators and students for a morning of conversation and networking. The April 1 event marked the first stop of the 2025 tour while the 2024 tour stopped at six universities — including Northeastern, Ohio State and Agnes Scott College. 

Lori Gerber, a sales leader with AWS, said the Women of the Cloud forums originally began among AWS members and their customers before evolving into a college tour. 

“The intention is to give the professionals an opportunity to listen to students here and understand what’s happening in classrooms, and to give the students a differentiator when they apply for jobs in tech,” Gerber said. 

College of Computing Dean Marouane Kessentini said the event emphasized the importance of broadening career pathways for students interested in tech-related fields, including those without traditional STEM backgrounds.

“We launched a new program about human-centered computing that looks at the intersection of humanities with computing and how humans are interacting with technology,” Kessentini said. “So we need all of you to be part of this journey.”  

Keynote speaker Diya Wynn, AWS’ lead of responsible AI, shared with the audience her career pathway to AWS, adding she decided to be a computer engineer in the third grade when she received her first computer, a Commodore VIC-20. 

Becoming a computer engineer was a foreign career option at that time, she said, when the predominant careers for women were typically teacher or nurse.

“The Women of the Cloud college tour is not just an event, but a movement dedicated to empowering women by fostering skill development, advancing careers and highlighting the essential contribution of women in the tech industry,” said Wynn.