Isabella has committed to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she will dual major in electrical engineering and computer science.
How did you choose your pathway?
It was really unexpected. I was fortunate enough to attend the Pre Freshman Engineering Program all four years so my fourth year I went to UTSA main campus and I took a computer science class for the first time. I was really hesitant to do so because for a while whenever I would look at a computer screen, the symbols would seem kind of daunting; it’s an unfamiliar language. When I took the class, I realized It wasn’t so much about memorizing symbols or learning a new language, it was more about learning to solve problems and think critically.
So I really enjoyed that aspect of computer science and decided to explore it a lot more, so the following year I joined robotics, I even took another college course in computer science, and I pursued a lot more opportunities having to do with computer science and engineering. It kind of really opened me up and helped me to discover that I actually had a passion for this.
Fast forward to now; I have ultimately chosen electrical engineering because it interfaces really well with computer science and I’m just excited to be able to work with the interface between hardware and software because it has a lot of applications. I’m particularly interested in working with robotics or artificial intelligence. That can be applied in fields such as medicine or climate science. I’d like to use my college experience to determine how I want to use my technical expertise to better the world.
What is the greatest challenge you have overcome during your education?
I think everyone deals with self-doubt at times. I think it’s a natural response as an attempt to preserve us from unexpected failure or judgement. I’ve worked to push through that and I think that’s really important, especially to open up opportunities for myself. For example, after my sophomore year, there was an internship opportunity that was opened up to me. I remember getting the email, and it was for a software engineering internship. I didn’t really think that I had all the knowledge and expertise to pursue that opportunity, but I did so anyway. It was definitely a steep learning curve being involved with that internship, but it ultimately taught me so many things about software development and working on a team that being able to overcome that initial fear ultimately allowed me to grow as a person and helped me to further explore my passion for software. Taking risks and pursuing opportunities despite hesitation and self-doubt have helped me to further develop myself.
As a leader of the Class of 2022, what is your hope for the Class of 2022 as they move on to the next chapter of their lives?
This is a really new time in our lives when we have a lot more independence and I think it’s important to explore different areas outside of our immediate academic interests, whether that’s by taking a new art class or being involved in music or even pursuing a sport that we just have always wanted to try but never had the chance to, I think it will help us to become more well-rounded and enable us to lead richer lives.