Major: Computer Science
Minor: Mathematics
Hometown: Providence, RI
Q. What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?
A. The College of Arts and Sciences is unique because it offers a multitude of different paths for students to decide on when thinking about what they want to focus on studying to support their dreams and goals. It’s also very flexible! I have friends who study both art and computer science and a foreign language with computer science. With this college, you can be as technical as you want, as creative as you want, and everything in between that spectrum.
What accomplishments and/or activities at URI are you most proud of now?
Looking back, I think the 18-year-old (high school senior) me would be in awe of the things I’ve accomplished up until this point. I’m definitely not saying that to toot my own horn —well maybe just a little bit— but being a first-generation student with parents who are refugees I never thought that the goals I’ve achieved up until this point were attainable for me. I think my biggest accomplishment was being able to graduate with a B.S. in computer science in (3) years. While this may not seem like a huge feat, I was able to do this while running an organization for the first time. In fact, this is my 2nd and last year running the “Society for Women in Computing”, an organization dedicated to empowering and supporting women in CS and related fields. During that time I was also tutoring, I became a founder for a computer science organizations board, I finally conquered my fear of driving on the highway that gets you from Providence to Kingston, and so much more.
What research projects, internships, experiential learning, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education?
Right now I’m apart of a co-op program at FM Global where I work as a full stack software developer. Working there has given me so much industry knowledge and experience, and it really solidified everything I learned at URI from object-oriented programming to agile practices.
What do you value about your liberal arts education?
What I value most about my liberal arts education are the relationships I have built in this community, you can learn how to program anywhere but there’s nothing on LeetCode or Code.org that can replace the value of the support one can receive in this community. My relationships with my peers, TAs, mentors, advisors, and professors have really motivated me to keep going especially when I was very doubtful of myself. As a woman, especially a woman of color, in computer science it’s so easy for me to feel like I won’t cut it in the technology industry, that my programming skills won’t be good enough. So although I’m grateful for all parts of my liberal arts education, I’m above all grateful for the relationships I’ve made.