I like the idea of being at a women’s college. And I’ve always liked the STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields, but they are definitely male dominated. Yet here at Smith, I am surrounded by professors who care about their students, support women and encourage empowerment. I came to Smith as an intended biochemistry major with plans to become a doctor. But then I took a few computer science classes and that was it—change of plans! I decided that I like computer coding even though the world thinks coding is for men and not for women. Think Steve Jobs, Bill Gates. 

Anyway, now I am very involved in the computer science community. I was the events chair for Smithies in Computer Science this year, and I helped plan HackSmith 2018 in April. From Saturday to Sunday, students from all kinds of programming backgrounds code for 24 hours and then showcase their projects.

“Smith is a very good place to grow. You will find out that the answer here is always yes! Always!”

I was recruited in December for a paid position as a software engineer summer intern with Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I know I will acquire more skills this way, and the best way to learn is to get real-world experience.

Smith gave me the most financial aid of all the colleges I applied to, and every day here makes me feel like I want to say “Thank you so much.” If I had any words of advice for incoming students it would be that Smith has a lot of resources; however, you have to seek them out. No one is going to hand them to you on a silver platter. I like that. It’s like the real world. Smith is a very good place to grow. You will find out that the answer here is always yes! Always!