CSpotlight: Advancing healthcare through code and curiosity

Why did you choose to pursue a degree in computer science specifically at the University of Minnesota?

I wanted to go into pre-med for a while, but I felt I could make a bigger impact on medicine through other avenues. At the time, my brother was studying computer science here, and he encouraged me to pursue it too. He told me it is very applicable to lots of fields, so even if you’re not 100% on one industry, you can go somewhere with it. I listened to him, and while coding didn’t come super naturally to me, the math and logic parts did, and I eventually came to really appreciate computer science for what it is. 

I chose the University of Minnesota for a few reasons. I took Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) classes here while I was in high school, so I was comfortable with the buildings and everything. The Department of Computer Science & Engineering is really good too, and I would be able to commute to campus, so it felt like the most logical option. I was like, why not? I’m getting a good degree at a good college, and I’m saving some money. 

How did you become interested in computer science? What are your specific interests within the field?

I became interested through my brother, and I was also fascinated with artificial intelligence (AI). When I took my first programming class, I realized it was not as fun as I had thought. It looks very pretty on the screen, but it's actually very hard. But I survived and kept going. While I definitely struggled finding a passion in computer science, I’m now in upper-level technical electives where I get to study AI, algorithms, and recommender systems, which are very interesting to me. 

A specific interest I have in the field is AI, especially its ethical use. I've had two internships at Medtronic, where I saw how AI can be used in the medical technology field. I also had an internship consulting for a healthcare system, where I again got to see AI firsthand, and how it's both helping and hurting the medical industry.

Tell us more about your internship experiences.

My first internship was at Medtronic on their quality team. I did a lot of data science, building out their dashboard to make sure all the devices were working correctly. I went back to Medtronic the next year, where I worked on building an AI system for them that could diagnose a patient based on their heart monitor data. That was a very challenging experience. I'm not a biology major, so I had to figure out how to read heart‑monitor data from pacemakers. I got to see how valuable AI is and how it can help doctors down the line not spend hours trying to diagnose a patient. 

This past summer, I pivoted out of the Medtronic sphere and interned at McKinsey & Co as a summer business analyst. I was on a team that consulted for a large healthcare system. There, I was able to see how healthcare systems are trying to use AI themselves and are also being affected by AI. I saw how much opportunity there is to improve how the financial aspects of the medical system work.

Are you involved in any student groups? What inspired you to get involved? 

I am co-director for mentorship in the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), which I’ve been a part of since I did PSEO in high school. We have both professional and collegiate mentorship, and I specifically direct professional mentorship. With professional mentorship, I pair SWE students with professionals in the fields they're interested in. Every month, we have an event with our professional mentors and mentees, which I lead. We talk about internships, resumes, and do fun crafts. SWE is just a good way to build a network and ask questions in a low-stress and chill environment. 

I was inspired to join SWE because being a girl in STEM can be lonely, especially in computer science. I look around the room, and I'm definitely in the minority, so I wanted to meet other computer science students and women in STEM. I found my best friend through SWE, so I think it's a good way to make friends and make connections. 

I'm also the communications director for the Entrepreneurship Club, which is my other big involvement. I love entrepreneurship, and I had a startup last year where I built an app, so it's a good way to get involved and connected.

What do you hope to contribute to the computer science community at the University?

At the university, I hope to empower computer science students in the best ways to use AI to further their education. I’m currently writing an honors thesis with the Department of Educational Psychology and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, where I'm studying how beginning computer science students in Introduction to Computing and Programming Concepts can use AI to strengthen their skills rather than weaken them for later classes. I want to show through my research that allowing students to use AI would actually benefit their learning rather than harm it.

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

It's okay if you are not crazy about computer science at first. It doesn't necessarily mean that your major was a mistake. It took me a couple of years to really get into the major and get comfortable with coding and technical concepts. So it's okay if you're looking around the room and thinking, “What am I doing here?” because you realize some of these people have been coding since they were 8 years old. Let computer science be a slow burn. You will find something you like, and once you do, it'll all be worth it.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I plan to work somewhere I can make a positive impact on the world by using the technical and critical thinking skills I have learned from computer science.