Blog Post #2 Spring:

My identity has definitely influenced my educational journey and mindset. I definitely had more privilege growing up as a white woman, with 2 parents who were college graduates, and a father in STEM. Other than being a woman, the odds were definitely not stacked against me. However, I did grow up struggling badly in math, and I always told myself I would never be in a career that required math. Even 10 years ago, I never would have expected to be pursuing a career in computer science. 

My parents have always been encouraging of me going into a STEM career, but I actually always thought I would go into biology (which does have a strong female presence). They never really suggested careers I should go into, but that I should do whatever would make me successful. My dad especially sees college as a must.

I mentioned that I had a parent in STEM, and that parent would be my dad. He's been a computer programmer (now called a software engineer) since the 80's. In addition to him, I have several family members on his side of the family who are in STEM careers, including two women cousins who both work at Microsoft. My cousin Alicia especially (although she doesn't know it) inspires me a lot because she is extremely successful in her career, has a thriving family, and takes vacations all. The. Time. I look at her life, the life my dad was able to give me and my family, and the life my other female cousin has, and I want to be able to give my future family that life. A career in STEM gives me the opportunity to provide that while also exploring a subject I find interesting.


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