My Exiger Experience: Humayara Karim, Wintern

The future of innovation depends on all of us, and gender equality can’t wait.

That’s why for the third year, Exiger WINs (Women’s Initiative Networks) was thrilled to partner with Cornell Tech’s WiTNY (Women in Technology and Entrepreneurship in New York) Winternship program.

Humayra Karim was one of five talented young women who joined us to accelerate her future in tech. To learn more about how we’re working to close the gender gap and committing to International Women’s Day 2020’s #EachforEqual pledge, read on for Humayra’s Exiger Experience.

Why Exiger Works for Me

• The opportunity: I find it empowering that WiTNY offers real world tech responsibilities for young women, as there aren’t many tech related opportunities for freshmen and sophomores. WiTNY gives us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in technology fields at highly respected companies. At CUNY, where most students are first generation college students like myself, this provides a solid foundation for women who want to pursue a career in tech. As for Exiger, I find it exciting to learn how technology is being used to fight financial crime and make the world a safer place to do business.
• The experience: During my time at Exiger, my team and I were learning how to use a programming language, Python, to analyze Exiger’s DDIQ data to find any trends or relationships with specific countries and the types of risk detected. Luckily for us, Winterns were able to interact with many employees from different business lines of the company. Some of the most memorable encounters I had were with Anna Osborn, Carrie Wibben, Daniela Lanigan, Ana Moreira, Nisha Shah, Jillian James, and Kody Gurfein. I have learned so much from them, such as how no matter the magnitude of a challenge you may be facing, you should never doubt your capabilities – the right mindset is one of the keys to success. It’s been a learning curve and there have been some hurdles to overcome. So far, it’s been a brilliant start to the year and heading in the right direction.
• Looking ahead: I’m inspired by how all the women I have met at Exiger are very determined to accomplish their goals regardless of any obstacles they’ve faced in their careers. As a computer engineering major, usually I am one of the few females in my classes and sometimes I feel discouraged because I feel like I don’t “fit in” in such a male dominant major. Meeting all the women in Exiger makes me feel hopeful, since I am able to see that they are persevering in a traditionally male dominated field. Moving forward, what excites me about the future is to explore the different fields of tech and business. There is so much to learn about how both of these fields can be connected and I can’t wait to explore more opportunities that will give me a better idea about what I want to do in my career.

About Cornell Tech’s WiTNY Winternship program

The Winternship, a paid, three week internship for CUNY (City University of New York) college students, opens the door to women interested in exploring tech careers and is dedicated to building a more equitable pool of talent in STEM fields.

About Exiger WINs (Women’s Initiative Networks)

Exiger WINs is committed to attracting, promoting and retaining top female talent. Exiger’s biggest asset is our people, and we believe that raising awareness of the challenges facing women in the workplace while driving female leadership is critical to our success. Exiger WINs focuses on three specific areas that help us raise the bar on female professional leadership and representation – programming and events that: foster employee relationships and mentorships, close the gender gap for women in technology and encourage corporate policies that support families.

Opportunities at Exiger