In 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of only nine women in Harvard Law School. Facing sex discrimination in the classroom, she stood out as a fearless defender of equal rights. Sixty years later, it has become part of my daily routine, since I entered the field of computer science as a woman. The programming classes I have taken were always dominated by men, but I still feel confident sharing my unique opinions, not afraid of debating, and have proven to be a stellar student among them. If you take a close look at my background and previous experience, you would never doubt my passion and capability.

My story begins with my dad, who was not only my first teacher, but my first male competitor in science. I still remember when I learned calculations with decimal numbers in a competition with my dad while riding in the car to my grandma’s house when I was only five. Thanks to my dad, my childhood was immersed in an atmosphere of science. While other kids enjoyed playing with their dolls, exploring computer hardware was my favorite thing to do. Starting to learn programming by himself in his 30’s, my dad made coding a lifelong pursuit. His enthusiasm inspired me to study abroad and pursue a degree from one of the best computer science programs in the world at UW. Along the journey, he continued to encourage me to believe in the equality between men and women’s ambition, talent, ability and value by supporting my passions and decisions.

I reinforced my determination to major in Computer Science at UW when I was taking fundamentals of programming classes and conducting research with Dr. William Erdly. This introductory class further increased my interest in programming by teaching me how to think like a programmer. In particular, I was fascinated by the process of problem-solving in the world of programming. I am challenged to constantly jump out of my comfort zone along the way and each time I learn something new. It might sound tough to a lot of people, it, however, makes studying, programming and my life interesting and exciting. While completing the courses, I joined the research team led by Dr. Erdly. I, with the team, have been developing digital tools aiming to improve vision assessment and thereby detect potential implications of near vision/undeveloped patterning issues. Our final product will be an Android mobile app named Red Flag, which is expected to support clinical diagnosis and treatment decision-making in schools and hospitals across Washington State. Working with Dr. Erdly has been a valuable learning experience for me. Although the high paced working environment was a big challenge for a second-year college student, I cultivated resilience, quickly improved my technical skills, and showed a remarkable aptitude in scientific research. Furthermore, when I realized that my work would make contributions to public health in the real world, my passion for computer science grew stronger. Making technological innovation work for human’s wellbeing has become a pursuit for my future career.