2015 HBCU All-Star

Celebrating #CSEdWeek

Why did you decide to major in Computer Science?

Angelica Willis North Carolina A&T University Junior, Computer Science

When the time came for me to choose a major in college, I was stumped. I knew that I was good at math and that I loved problem solving, therefore STEM interested me; however, I felt like a kid in a candy store being told I could only choose one treat from the hundreds of available varieties. For a while, I thought I liked architecture enough to spend four years of my academic life, and hopefully the rest of my career, pursuing it. I later realized that was not the case. I embarked on similar journeys of discovery followed by eventual commitment issues with biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, and ecology. As college application season approached, I put my research skills to good use and made a hypothesis: there has to be one common thread that links every facet of innovation–an occupation that is vital to every STEM related industry–that will allow me to dabble in everything I love.

What do you plan to do with your computer science major in the future?

Computer science proved my hypothesis, as it is crucial to innovation in all disciplines of STEM. Everything from the mapping of the human genome and 3D modeling, to space travel and driverless car technology, relies heavily on software engineering and data science. I want to become the type of computer scientist who contributes to ambitious, exploratory and ground-breaking projects that positively and dramatically affect the technological advancement of mankind. I am now a junior computer science student at North Carolina A&T State University who enjoys coding to solve global problems.