AccessComputing

Human-Centered Engineering

Technology & Independence

One of my greatest passions is using technology to engage older individuals with a disability towards discovery and independence, especially in the digital world. I have worked hard to grow a toolbox of skills, including going back to school to receive a B.S. in vocational technical education with an emphasis on computer instruction and a certificate in library information science technology. Both of these accomplishments have been a huge asset in helping others and making my dream a reality.

Computer Science

When people find out I have dyslexia, they ask “what is it like?” I’ve never found an answer for this question because I’ve never known what it’s like to process the world around me without it.

Technology & Advocacy

I have cerebral palsy and have used technology since elementary school to complete my homework and other tasks. I am an avid keyboarder, but I have difficulty using a mouse. When I was quite young, technology became my passion. In high school, I also gained a passion for disability advocacy and culture.

Technology & Programming

For me, having a strong community of supports was the difference between dropping out and graduating from college. Possibly due to my disability, it was hard to make friends and set up the sort of community of supports that I think many people develop naturally. My academic performance suffered as a result, and after a disappointing freshman year, I took a semester leave of absence to collect myself. When I came back, I quickly and deliberately created a strong community of supports both in and outside of school.

Autism was something I never talked about or thought of in depth when I was younger, even though I had to accommodate it throughout my high school education. For the University of Washington (UW), I wrote one of my application essays about my experience with autism, which helped me feel empowered by having a disability.

Engineering

I have always had an interest in math and science. Something about these fields has always just made sense to me. When I started at Bellevue College (BC) in 2011, I tested into calculus. However, I have always struggled with English classes—particularly writing. My first quarter of college was especially hard because I struggled with not only taking too many classes, but passing English as well.

I graduated with a degree in system and information engineering from the University of Virginia (UVA) and am currently pursuing a master’s degree in system engineering at Cornell University. I was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) when I was 18 years old.

I completed my Ph.D. in computer science in May 2018 and am currently working at Microsoft as a data and applied scientist. Internships have had a huge impact on my journey in STEM. People may not know what possibilities they have until they get the opportunity, or someone may get stuck in a dead-end job if they can’t try it out first in an internship. It was especially important for me as a person with a visual impairment to discover where I should focus my career.

Software Development

My journey as a computer scientist began around the time I entered high school. I had been interested in computers from a young age, but it was around this time that I began to learn to program a computer.