My dad was a nerd. Thank God, that’s luck of the Irish for me. After Notre Dame, he worked hard to make his biggest investment on his children. I feel honored to be a part of Notre Dame and I believe the reputation is great in the business world and in all aspects of life. I am so grateful for the accomplishments he made and the care he has for his kids. My identity is his energy. I have always taken after my dad and it has greatly formed how I live my life. From this light, I am an idealist; I see the potential in everybody and I picture and execute the best course of action to bring together talents and passions and return with wild results.
I manifest the Notre Dame stereotype of wanting to change the world. Educated students leave this school with a drive for change and a passion for service. We do not see many University of Notre Dame graduates on wall street, rather, we see many go on to lead non-profits or become part of a company with an ethical business model. Even during school, students try to make a difference. For example, computer science majors do research on clean energy and wildlife conservation and are blessed with funding for their solution by amazing individuals, who are often also ND grads, or by the outstanding Idea Center. I am blessed to have a good stereotype back my school in order for me to be expected to live the faithful life full of service that I desire. I hope that I am viewed as who I think I am or at least want to be: “a woman for others.” I learned this and other Ignatiun values from my college prep that I am very lucky to have attended: Saint Ignatius.
My mother is also wonderful and is an oncologist, she inspired me to do ROW – Recovery on Water – a crew team in Chicago for anyone recovering from breast cancer. Both Notre Dame and the women in ROW remind me to be a woman for others.
I am privileged to grow up in an inspired household where care, math and creativity were put first. My mother and father together brought me up to love math so that I can excel in school. They taught me to always challenge myself, which is why I chose computer science. I knew it would take a lot of work in college, but would be worth it during and after. Technology is innovative and requires creative and smart minds. I resonate with the creative stereotype of a computer scientist, but I do not feel like a master hacker yet. As a person and student, I have always been quite forgetful and constantly onto the next thing. It is regrettable that I do not dwell on a subject and deeply learn, but I feel powerless behind my curiosity. So, I see the world full of opportunity and others see me as curious, excited, and motivated, which sort of is the exact opposite of a hacker stereotype. In the reading, “To Serve Man, with Software,” it is said that “Programmers don’t think of themselves as people with the power to change the world. Most programmers I know, including myself, grew up as nerds, geeks, social outcasts.” So, in that way, I believe the world views me as a “one of a kind” programmer, and I would agree, but there are many like me at Notre Dame!
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