codePost Computer Science Education Scholarship

When I was in high school, I did not enjoy one subject I was learning. Chemistry was the closest I had ever gotten to "enjoying" a subject, and I even took three years of it, but something was still missing. I decided I would try to take computer science since I knew I wanted STEM, but nothing I had tried before. My math teacher at the time was teaching computer science for the next academic year, so after math one day I asked him if I could take his computer science class. "You won't like it, it's only for boys," he responded. I was grateful at the time for his honestly and I truly thought he had my back and did not want me to feel uncomfortable or out of place within the class. It was not until my second semester of freshmen year of college when I realized I had the same problem as high school. I did not find a subject I was passionate about. I went to a trusted advisor, and they suggested that I give computer science a try. Thankfully, I took their advice and everything clicked. I found a passion. Sitting in a few lectures and meetings, I kept remembering: "It's only for boys". I wanted to change this. I was tired of being the only woman in my study group and feeling like I did not have a place within this community. I did not want to feel destined to fail. I took the first step and became a TA for the Introduction to Computer Science class. We learn Python in this module, and this is where all the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students seem to be. I wanted to encourage female students to continue with this course of study, and I was a TA for two years, from my sophomore year to the present. This was not enough. I wanted to do more. I became a career liaison for the Computer Science Student Advisory Board. I would put on events for the computer science department and help women gain confidence in what they were doing. I still wanted to do more. I became the president of the Connecticut College ACM-W chapter, and have worked tirelessly to gain members and create a coherent union of women computer science students. This has been much more difficult than I previously anticipated. Throughout the past few semesters, I needed something to supplement ACM-W. I created a web application for women in tech at Connecticut College called http://wit.digital.conncoll.edu/ I made this website as a resource for young women in computer science to realize the full potential of women within a tech field. I am still continuing my research, but I received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the website. This was a step in the right direction and I am extremely excited to see where my studies take me, and if I have the power to change one girl's life. Just as another had done for me.