How has the Internet shaped your educational career thus far? Provide specific examples.
I can safely say beyond an even reasonable shadow of a doubt that I would not be the hardworking, tenacious young woman I am today without access to the internet as a little girl. Having incredibly tech-savvy parents, our family desktop was practically another parental figure growing up, except instead of teaching me letters and words, it taught me computer magic and the enthralling power of bright lights and funny noises...well to a two year old anyways. In fact, one of my dad's favorite stories he likes to tell of his favorite (and only) daughter is how he woke up one morning to find his little toddler playing on the computer all by herself. After having seen mommy and daddy do it for her so many times, she was able to not only turn on the computer, but also navigate to the desktop icon of her favorite website (Disney.com if you're truly curious :P ). |
Anyways, what I'm saying is that I wouldn't be so interested in computers and the web today had I not been so influenced by our family computer and various toddler-friendly websites growing up. Fast forward a decade into the future and you have middle-school me: a sassy, blunt, tomboyish nerd in my county's IB program. That's okay, you don't have to like her, I can tell you that nearly everyone around her didn't either. My interest in computers and the internet persevered; however, being a little girl and being passionate about such things didn't exactly make things easy. I was one of only a few girls in my elective keyboarding and web class, and my peers made sure to remind of that fact nearly every day. Middle school on its own is hard enough as it is, add in being a nerd and overweight made things a nightmare. As a result my grades suffered and I actually had to take remedial mathematics! Me! The computer science major having to take remedial mathematics! Despite my poor grades and declining mental health (I developed severe depression as early as middle school, sad I know), I applied for a highly selective information technology based high school in my county. Luckily, seeing both my enthusiasm and the given circumstances, I actually received an acceptance letter in lieu of a cordially worded one of rejection.
Once I made it to Deep Run High School, I finally found room to drop my roots and grow. Obviously the transition didn't happen overnight; I came in as a chubby, overbearing, tomboy in the boy's club. However, I was finally among other girls (what few of us there were at least) and more understanding guys that all shared the same interests as I did. My freshman year there I learned basic computer care, hardware, and, of course, fundamental web development! After I survived my freshman year, I was downright determined to turn my life around.
In my sophomore year I was persuaded to join my school's FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology...man I've had to say that way too many times) robotics team; and let me tell you, if I really knew what it was when I was first told, you would've had to force me away. As a new initiate to FIRST Team 1086 Blue Cheese (I made that website from scratch by the way, but I'll get to that in a bit), I came in aimless and lost, a poor confused young woman playing at engineering with the boys. |
I will be the first to tell you that I was chewed up and eaten by the chaotic six-week build schedule, but I was spit out with so much focus and enthusiasm that I was a totally different person. In that very first year on the team I started off as a lowly media assistant, touching up the team's hundreds of competition photos and uploading them to our original website (it was terrible, that's really all that needs to be said). One of the parents then noticed my natural public-speaking skills as well as my design talents, allowing me to step up to work as part of the Chairman's branch. Basically, the way to think about it is that there is the side of the team that builds the robot, our "product", and the Chairman's side is the marketing team that advertises that product. The problem was...that's not what I wanted to do! I am a child of the information age! Raised by circuits and CRTs! My passion lies in computers and code!
Eventually in my senior year I was promoted, finally, to website and programming captain. That year was one of the most hectic and busiest of my life up until that point. Not only did I completely redo the team's website from scratch, right down to my own personal design, but I developed it in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, etc. No one can ever tell me that I didn't make that website to last, and boy does it look good (if I don't say for myself). I learned a lot making that website, using skills that I mostly self-taught to myself, but when I really get focused on a project, you can be sure that I won't drop it until it's done. That very same year I also programmed our 2013 competition robot nearly by myself, as our previous programming captain graduated from the team without passing on any of his skills. Knowing Java, I was the optimal candidate...except that they wanted it programmed in C++ and programming machinery is a lot different than programming code! Well, you'll be happy to know that the only thing that guaranteed 100% worked that year was my code...written in a language I didn't know...working with several hundred dollar machinery. I hardly slept that year, spending long nights on the official robotics forums searching for answers. I'm kind of good at what I do. |
Apparently, someone else also thought that I had some serious skills, as I was awarded the Aspirations in Computing award from NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) for the VA/DC region that year. Based on both successes leading up to that point and future aspirations, the Aspirations in Computing award is given to young women in the technology industry that have truly made a difference in their communities. Being able to have developed that website despite knowing so very little really helped give me that edge in the award's selection process, as it showed not only my perseverance and passion, but initiative to take charge and lead by example. |
Now that I'm in college, the web has only pushed me further towards success. Besides just being able to Google the usual code questions (can the creator of StackedOverflow get a Nobel peace prize?) having a presence on the internet has really helped me get noticed and create a vast network of opportunity. Being an Aspirations winner I have been contacted on multiple occasions asking for assistance with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) outreach initiatives or for anecdotal advice. In fact, one of those correspondences has led me to my current project. I work with my university (George Mason) offering and teaching weekend and summer camps on STEM topics to our community's youth. Personally, my camps are specifically targeted towards middle school girls in order to get more young women interested in computers and technology. I was even contacted by one of our university's local journalists to learn more about FIRST! (You can read it right here actually). And then because she read that very same article online, another professor contacted me about helping her teach engineering camps to economically disadvantaged youths in our area! If I hadn't have started to carve out my own spot on the web, I would never have had such opportunities come to me.
Without the internet as such a potent influence in my life, I wouldn't even be remotely similar to the young woman I am now. From making my first (hideously ugly) basic HTML page to developing fully functional, sprawling websites, fully utilizing all of the tools the web has offered me has really given me that competitive edge in both my education and career goals.
Explain drawbacks, if any, to the Internet and its role in your education.
While there have been so very few drawbacks to having the internet be such a major player in my life, these ones in particular have had some pretty terrible repercussions. Obviously as I mentioned before, being a young woman and having such interests led to a severe amount of bullying while I was in middle-school. I remember more days where I was rendered to tears from the snide comments and disparaging remarks than ones where I weren't. Kids are mean, yes. Middle school kids are nightmares, everyone knows this, but I really didn't make it easy on myself.
I can also say that being so readily attracted to the internet, and the virtual haven it provides, didn't really play nice with my early depression and physical health. Spending so much time inside cost me precious vitamin D, severely impacting my depressive condition and driving me to the brink of madness. This in turn also made me less physically active, causing me to put on a lot of excess weight. I was the perfect trifecta: the overweight psychologically broken computer nerd. However, using the power of the net, I have completely turned my physical life around. Using powerful websites like MyFitnessPal, I've lost over 40 pounds in the past year, which has done wonders to my health both physically and psychologically. I've also used travel websites to plan tons of outdoor excursions around my area which has gotten me active and out in the beautiful sunlight. I don't think I've ever been happier in my life.
And, of course, by its very nature, the internet is super addictive and distracting! Whenever I have work that I have to do or submit via the internet I have a super difficult time remaining focused and on my work. One minute I'm writing my research thesis on getting more women in technology and then the next I'm laughing at cute puppy videos on YouTube. A lot of times this has actually caused me to submit assignments late, or not to the standard of quality I hold myself to. Honestly, my grades might have been just slightly better had I been more focused.
And, of course, by its very nature, the internet is super addictive and distracting! Whenever I have work that I have to do or submit via the internet I have a super difficult time remaining focused and on my work. One minute I'm writing my research thesis on getting more women in technology and then the next I'm laughing at cute puppy videos on YouTube. A lot of times this has actually caused me to submit assignments late, or not to the standard of quality I hold myself to. Honestly, my grades might have been just slightly better had I been more focused.
Closing remarks!
I just want to say a big happy "thank you!" to everyone who read this post, especially the scholarship judges. I know the minimum was 500 words and I am severely past that, I really want to tell you my story and how the internet has shaped it and the person that I am today,
Now I have to go, as I have to finish developing this website for the Richmond Society of Women Engineers. They're expecting it any day now!
Now I have to go, as I have to finish developing this website for the Richmond Society of Women Engineers. They're expecting it any day now!