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Isabel Epistelomogi

2x

Finalist

1x

Winner

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Politics and Political Science
  • Coding And Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Business And Entrepreneurship
  • Law
  • Social Justice
  • Criminal Justice
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Movies And Film

Bio

Hi! I'm Isabel! I'm from Wisconsin and a proud daughter of Indonesian immigrants. I'm a freshman at the University of Southern California studying Computer Science and Business Administration. I seek to use my intersecting interests to fight for technology and industries that serve minority groups. I am an Incoming Visiting Research Assistant at USC Information Sciences Institute, conducting interdisciplinary AI research under Dr. Emilio Ferrara. I am the VP of Education Research & Analytics at the Institute for Youth in Policy. I launch and lead research and data projects to show the need for discourse-based, non-partisan civics education in the US and oversee the Education Department--comprised of 71+ members and five sub-departments--spearheading and leading projects, partnerships, and collaborations to drive our growth and accelerate our mission of revolutionizing civics education. Last summer, I was invited to speak at the 2023 AP Annual Conference in Seattle by the College Board. I presented original civics education research about the efficacy of discourse-based civics education to educators nationwide. I continue to collaborate with the College Board, being invited by the College Board to speak at multiple BigFuture Events attended by hundreds of students nationwide to present about my academic and career exploration journey. I have worked in Wisconsin's immigrant communities' legal and education spheres and work to empower the next diverse generation of STEM leaders through my work at STEM Without Boundaries as COO.

Education

University of Southern California

Bachelor's degree program

2023 – 2026

Majors:
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations
  • Computer Science
GPA3.6 GPA

Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy

High School

2019 – 2023

GPA4.0 GPA

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Majors of interest:
Political Science and Government, Computer Science, Data Science, Business Administration, Management and Operations, Law
Medical school interest:
No
Test scores:
  • ACT34

Career

  • Summer Legal Intern

    Legal Services · Catholic Charities Milwaukee -- Refugee and Immigration Services

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2022

  • Vice President of Education Research & Analytics

    Civic & Social Organization · Institute for Youth in Policy

    Jan 2022 – Present

  • Engineering Intern

    Manufacturing · GS Global Resources

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2023

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Technology
Dream career goals:
Product Manager
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Politics
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Our Destiny Our Future Scholarship
It was like Christmas morning for my sister when she first got an accessible reading app designed for people with print disabilities. I have seen my sister struggle with using the default version of online texts, getting frustrated that she sometimes cannot access online materials. At USC, I pursue the intersection of computer science, business, and accessibility. As a Computer Science and Business Administration major, I seek to intersect my passions for computer science and business with representation and creativity. My overarching passion and goal is to intersect STEM with my entrepreneurial and creative toolkit to create a more diverse, representative, and accessible future. Using my college degree, I aim to engineer a better, more accessible world. I am motivated by my sister’s experiences of struggling to use inaccessible applications to build accessible technology consulting the people with print disabilities community. I pursue this goal today as Outreach Chair at TOM USC, a USC student organization dedicated to engineering and designing personalized solutions for people with disabilities at USC and in the greater LA area. I co-organized a toddler mobility trainer build-a-thon in Pasadena, where we built eight wheelchairs for toddlers. Further, as a Selected Student Member at USC Diversity and Inclusion Council, I represent 40,000+ USC students in guiding USC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. I leverage my accessibility-first perspective and experience to ensure all USC students are empowered to thrive. My passion for accessibility extends into the fields of civics and STEM. My experiences as a daughter of Indonesian immigrants growing up in Wisconsin fueled my desire to make civics accessible to all Americans. I have volunteered 500+ hours in civics education advocacy and research efforts, leading me to be a 2x Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold Winner. I am the first & corresponding author on a study exploring the effectiveness of discourse-based civic activities on polarization, civic engagement, and topic comprehension. I presented the study’s results as an invited speaker at the College Board's 2023 AP Annual Conference in Seattle and three international research conferences. I am an undergraduate research assistant at USC Information Sciences Institute under Dr. Emilio Ferrara, volunteering with the lab. I conduct AI and CS research to collect, analyze, and democratize access to social media and political ad data during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. I have presented to hundreds of students nationwide as a 2x Invited Speaker at College Board’s BigFuture Live about my experiences taking an interdisciplinary and creative approach to STEM to show there’s no singular way to approach STEM. I am the Co-Director of Corporate Relations at USC Women in Computing to empower women in computer science at USC through professional development and recruiting opportunities, and I am the COO at STEM Without Boundaries in a volunteering capacity, where I coordinated outreach and invited 15+ organizations for the 2022 K-8 STEM Carnival in Novi, MI with 900+ registrants. Winning the Our Destiny Our Future Scholarship will allow me to pursue my interdisciplinary goals in the future with a much larger impact–to build accessible and representative apps, businesses, and media. At USC, I am given the toolkit to make my own stories, businesses, and technology through creativity and entrepreneurship. I am ready to pioneer a more accessible future, and Our Destiny Our Future Scholarship's support would directly enable me to innovate a more accessible, diverse, and representative future today.
Isabel Epistelomogi Student Profile | Bold.org