Throughout my time at Greenhills, I have been encouraged to take a variety of courses to “explore my interests.” I have taken everything from Journalism, Computer Science, Ceramics, Applied Engineering Design, even Perspectives in Humanities. It has given me a platform to explore my interests and solidify what I plan to do with the rest of my life. Through this experience, I discovered my love for coding in my junior year. It all started when I got placed in a Computer Science class with seven people including myself and the teacher. Typically, only one Computer Science class is offered, however that particular year, there was an excess of students who wanted to take the class. This led to a second smaller Computer Science class. As time progressed, the class became extremely close, we got comfortable with each other quickly due to the environment that coding brings in. Pair programming was one of the most fundamental parts that I was able to experience. Pair programming is when a team of coders work together to produce code. Pair programming enables collaborative thinking, faster problem solving and communication, and more efficient work. It taught me how to be a better team member, better communicator and in general learn how to learn from others.

Although a six person class wasn’t my first choice, I think it was one of the most beneficial and crucial moments in my high school career. The one on one interactions I was able to build with the students in the class showcased one of my favorite parts of Greenhills, the ability to have a close relationship with students and teachers. I truly discovered having people in your corner that are not only willing to help, but happy to help you learn, it really brought together one of my favorite communities. 

Up until this point, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my future career. I had a lightbulb moment during the midterm that year. As I looked up from my paper, I for the first time saw both of the classes in the same room. About 30 males, to about three females (including myself). I had always heard about how the STEM field was “male dominated”, however at our STEM-centered school, I had never experienced anything like this. This moment made me realize that I want to be a part of this male-dominated field, I wanted to break the stigmas around what women can do for the betterment of the field. I wanted to meaningfully contribute in coding to helping women and underrepresented groups in general discover the benefits of the Internet and how the Internet can help them in their daily lives.  In the second semester, I was able to continue my success in the class and understand what it meant to have a different perspective than most of my peers. 

In my senior year, I have continued to love this field and have continued to further my math education at Greenhills. I am grateful for the opportunity to have had such a positive experience. I would like to thank all of my teachers who made this possible and encouraged me to be the difference in the field; I couldn’t have done it without you. Looking forward, I am excited to pursue a career in Data Science, which  includes principles from many different fields including mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence, and computer engineering. I am confident that with my passion and dedication, I can contribute to the ever-growing field of technology and look towards a meaningful future I have a part in creating.