CSpotlight: Building Community through Computer Science

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

I didn’t start off college wanting to do computer science. I was actually interested in the business field. However, my brother had gone to the University of Minnesota for computer science, and I got to see his experiences and life after college firsthand. I felt I could see myself in the field as well. Also, in general, there aren’t many women in tech, which was something that really interested me. I’ve always had an interest in tech, but I never thought about going into it. 

I chose the University of Minnesota because the College of Science and Engineering is well renowned in Minnesota. I wanted to go to a school that had a good program for the degree I was pursuing. I had also heard a lot about the program through my brother. 

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

I took CSCI 1133 - Intro to Python at the University of Minnesota in high school through the Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program. The class and instructor, Teaching Specialist Nathan Taylor, were great. The experience was eye-opening for me, and I knew I wanted to continue in computer science.

After my summer internship, where I saw different fields and paths you can take in computer science, I realized I enjoy software engineering, especially the front-end side. I also had the chance to get into product management. It’s a field that a lot of people in tech don’t get into, because it’s not that technical. However, having a technical background as a product manager is very important. It was an aspect I really enjoyed this summer. 

Tell us more about your internship experiences.

I interned at Thrivent Financial in the Minneapolis office this summer. I was a software engineering intern, and I was placed on the front-end team where I assisted the engineers on my team with anything they needed. I also assisted the product managers because it’s a very product-heavy company. I got integrated into the team pretty fast, and I was part of their daily tasks. I was able to get experience you don’t always get in the classroom by utilizing what I’ve learned in school in the actual workforce. 

Congratulations on your CS&E Scholarship! How will this scholarship impact your academic and extracurricular work?

Academically, receiving a scholarship is really helpful because it shows that the work and what I’ve done in school are being recognized. It’s motivation for me to keep going and do the best I can. 

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

I am the vice president of the National Society for Black Engineers. I started by going to some events my freshman year. It was eye-opening to me because it’s a lot of like-minded people in the same room, and you don’t always bump into people just going to classes and stuff. It was nice to have a smaller group to discuss things, ask questions, ask what classes to take, and to just be surrounded by them. That’s what initially drew me to the club. 

I decided to apply for the PR chair last year. Coming from a field where there aren’t a lot of women, and because it was so hard for me in the beginning to find my group of people, I wanted to help the incoming freshmen. My friends and I started mentoring the freshman girls that were coming in and helping them navigate computer science. 

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

I hope to bring a new perspective into the community. A lot of the time, you’ll see that there’s a lot of the new generation of computer science coming in. You’ll also see there are a lot of people from the old generation. I want to use my voice and the knowledge I’ve learned in college to help further the community.

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

Always put yourself out there. I was kind of an introvert coming into college, but you quickly learn that computer science is a field where you need to build connections. It’s okay to embarrass yourself once in a while at career fairs, but make sure to put yourself out there and communicate your goals and ambitions. Sign up for hackathons, sign up for projects you never thought you would do, and utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn to build more connections with people.

What are your plans after graduation?

Hopefully, I’ll get into the software engineering field and then pivot a little into product management and broaden my experiences. I also hope to stay connected to the University of Minnesota and help new computer science students navigate their academics and career.

Are there any additional experiences you did that you would like to highlight?

My computer science friends and I made it a goal to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and do things we wouldn’t do otherwise. Hackathons were at the top of that list. Hackathons can sound very scary and intimidating. We decided to sign up for the Carlson Analytics for Good Hackathon. It was pure data analysis, which was crazy because we didn’t know what we were doing. We ended up winning it. I think the reason we won was our dedication and willingness to learn something new and solve a problem. That’s something computer science teaches you. You’re solving things 24/7 and trying to figure out a solution for something that’s not clear. After that experience, we signed up for more hackathons.