Grab-a-BYTE: Empowering the next generation of women in tech
This past fall, nearly 20 female-identifying Chicago high-school students gathered at McDonald’s Global Headquarters (MHQ) for the first-ever Grab-a-BYTE event, designed to engage and inspire young women interested in technology.
by Maryclare Leonard, Software Development Engineer I; Will Moran, U.S. Communications Specialist; Maitree Shukla, Technology Rotational Specialist; Grace Win, Technology Rotational Specialist
At MHQ’s test restaurant, a group of Chicago high school students crowded around the front counter, buzzing with competitive energy.
“Can you order me a Big Mac® with no cheese and no onions?” one of the event’s volunteers asked, as two students raced to process the order on a point-of-sale (POS) system.
One of the students gazed up at the screen with a sense of wonder and recognition.
“Whoa…”
“Have you ever worked at a McDonald’s?” the volunteer asked.
The student shook her head.
“I work in retail. We have something like this at the store, but I wonder how this one works.”
The student began to experiment with the screen and listened intently as facilitators explained how the POS connects to and enables other parts of the restaurant, like the Kitchen Video System (KVS).
As simple as it seems, it only takes one moment of curiosity to spark a lifetime connection.
These are the formative experiences that inspired the vision for Global Women in Technology (GWIT)-sponsored Grab-a-BYTE event, a one-day, immersive experience designed to help young women learn more about technology, discover early-career opportunities, and connect with female role models.
The need for initiatives like Grab-a-BYTE is more pressing than ever — as of 2019, women make up only 27% of the U.S. STEM workforce, despite making up nearly 50% of the U.S. workforce.
“There are several reasons for gender disparity in STEM careers, including lack of role models and stereotypes,” said Vanessa Clemons, Grab-a-BYTE executive sponsor and GWIT co-chair. “With Grab-a-BYTE, we set out to put on an event that not only exposes the audience to STEM career pathways at a global company, but also starts the conversation with them early in their academic careers.”
The event had three objectives: Ignite inspiration through our tech leaders, challenge assumptions about careers in tech, and expose students to different types of work in a global technology organization.
The day included panels with technology leaders, interactive workshops with restaurant tech, and hands-on activities with various technology departments.
Inspiring through engagement
During the event, students heard from a variety of technology leaders, like Whitney McGinnis, Senior Vice President, U.S. CIO, who hosted a fireside chat with the students.
Whitney shared her unique career trajectory, going from an undergraduate degree in English to U.S. CIO for one of the world’s largest brands.
Whitney’s biggest piece of advice for women interested in technology careers?
“Take the job. Pursue the opportunities that seem exciting — even if they are scary. Taking a new job should involve learning and growing. You don’t need to know exactly how to do everything — trust that you’ll do the work, learn on the job and figure it out!”
To further their understanding of the types of roles — both technical and non-technical — and career paths into technology, attendees participated in an interactive session and trivia game with representatives from the Infrastructure & Operations, Risk Management, and Strategy & Planning teams in Global Technology.
Students also had the chance to hear from employees from across the Global Technology organization, who shared their career paths into technology and their current experiences. Panelists answered questions and addressed topics ranging from career advice to the female experience in the workplace.
“One topic that came up was the role men can play as allies,” said panelist Connor Mason, Senior Director in the Customer Tech team. “Especially in tech, where female-identifying and nonbinary folks are underrepresented, having male allies who actively support and advocate for their colleagues is a key part of creating an inclusive workplace.”
Hands-on exposure to McDonald’s technology
Hands-on learning is a critical part of understanding technology.
In Grab-a-BYTE workshops, students learned about the tech that powers our restaurants through hands-on experience in a mock McDonald’s restaurant environment.
They practiced taking orders on the POS, gaining a crew member’s perspective. And, from a developer’s standpoint, they learned how to build a button on the POS in the back end. They also practiced drawing the connection from when a customer places an order on our Global Mobile App to when a crew member sees the order in the restaurant.
These exercises were meant to push students to think about how different technologies connect to each other at McDonald’s and in the world around them.
“There’s still a lot to do to bridge the gender gap in STEM across the industry,” Vanessa said. “But being a part of the light bulb moments for these young women as they discovered how much McDonald’s tech powers our business underscores the importance of events like this to continue to drive the diversity mission at McDonald’s.”
