This multicultural event presented annually in conjunction with Women of Color magazine kicks off today in Detroit, Michigan, and runs through Saturday, Oct.8.

The three-day event will offer insights from women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs, concerns about gender inequities, and inspiration from women with advanced degrees, and those in higher-level, professional positions.

Get ready to learn and connect with some of the best leaders. Click here to register now.

If you can't make it to Detroit, the digital twin experience (DTX) provides in-the-moment experiences akin to attending an in-person event. Click here to enter.

Respondents to the 2021 Women of Color (WOC) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Post-Conference Survey had much to say.

Over half (54.17 percent) of the students and professionals who attended the 26th annual WOC STEM Conference said personal commitments and scheduling availability were highly considered before registering for the event.

That feeling of responsibility to the goals, mission, and vision of what an individual is associated with ranked even higher than the availability of a budget or funding (22.92 percent).

Nonetheless, more than 93 percent of survey respondents said their organization sponsored their attendance. Only 6.25 percent reported that they had come on their own.

Judging by the survey response, we’re in a post-pandemic world. Attendees surveyed said they were as comfortable attending in person as they were taking part remotely.

More than 45 percent said they would participate in hybrid events (a mix of in-person and virtual) in the future, and a slightly higher number (47 percent) said they planned to attend in-person conferences.

More than half of the attendees who responded to the survey said the speakers at the event were a big hit. Over 53 percent said they were “delighted” with what they had heard.

More than 40 percent were “very satisfied” with the discussions in the breakout sessions and the ease of accessibility, and 52 percent said they would recommend the digital event to a friend or colleague.

Although not all jobs require a security clearance—more than 57 percent of survey respondents said they did not have one—42.22 percent said they had some security clearance, whether it was for a public trust position or a job with secret or top-secret compartments.

Survey respondents also said professional development opportunities were the most important reasons for attending the WOC STEM Conference. Other reasons listed were inspiration (61 percent), award recognition (59 percent), and networking (40 percent).

Most of the attendees were from Avery Dennison, AWS, Ansys Corporation, Florida A&M University, Health Catalyst, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Amazon, Corteva Agriscience, Hewlett Packard, Rocket Mortgage, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Stellantis, Seagate Technology, Amazon, Actalent, U.S. Marine Corps, Northrop Grumman, NASA Langley Research Center, TKS Security Consultant, HP Inc, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Alliance Leadership Group, Health New England, The Boeing Company, AT&T, LG Energy Solutions, and Huntington Ingalls Industries.