Application Questions

short-essay

1. _Why are you interested in programming? What have you done to expose yourself to programming so far?_

In the existential sense my interest in programing lies in the firm belief that the next step in my life trajectory of social justice, 
creativity, and motivation lies in the field of technology. I want to enter the world of tech to harness its power for change, and to help 
solve the same problems I have struggled with in all my professional interests, from environmental sustainability to youth empowerment.

In the more practical sense, this academy is an opportunity to transition out of my current sphere of theoretical, humanities-based reasoning, 
and back into the more concrete world of logic and science. In the past year I have taken a few Codecademy courses, audited the first half of
a CSE class at the UW taught by a friend, and pestered my family and friends in the tech industry with questions about their jobs. The 
immense creativity allowed within such a technical science inspires me and I find myself looking forward to spending my weekends playing with 
jGRASP. I know I have just scratched the surface and I look forward to furthering my knowledge and expanding my technological palette.

2. _If you are accepted into our program, where do you see your career in 5 years?_

As the future holds many uncertainties, my usual approach to career development is to welcome what comes with an open mind. Aptitude in 
coding opens up a myriad of different applications, and the beauty of starting fresh in a new field lies in the endless possibilities 
inherent in new beginnings. I am still unsure where it will take me but I hope to be working directly with people impacted by inequity to 
affect divergent solutions. I am committed to working for companies dedicated to enacting change for underserved populations. I prefer to 
work more with the user than with strictly data, but the value of a full-stack program like Ada lies in the power of knowing and using 
more than just one nuanced set of skills. In 5 years I could be programming for a startup aimed at helping teens of color get into STEM 
fields or I could be working at Google or Facebook using algorithms to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Only time will tell.

3. _After reading Ada’s Vision, Mission and Inclusivity Statement, how will you contribute to Ada’s vision for an inclusive and diverse community?_

In university I doggedly stuck to my puzzling choice of major, the Comparative History of Ideas, because this course of study provided me
with ample opportunity to explore the history of power and privilege and its impact on the modern experience. I reveled in the teachings
of authors like Neruda and hooks and began the troubling examination of my own privileges and implicit biases. I took on the task of 
rediscovering my grandmother’s buried past as an Apache and spent hours listening to elders and relearning the traditions that my family
had fled from. I have since worked with youth from diverse backgrounds teaching about world geography and our place in history - a job 
that has constantly challenged me to re-examine my own perceptions.

On most accounts I hold positions of privilege - I am white-passing, cisgendered, upper-middle class, and well educated. My personal 
experience of oppression lies mostly in the condescending injustice of patriarchy, but I have been more poignantly impacted by the stories 
of people in less fortunate situations than my own. The power of listening continually challenges my allyship to be as non-judgemental, 
unassuming, and supportive as possible. Ada’s vision of the future as a diverse and welcoming world for all people aligns perfectly with
my own dreams, and I celebrate the opportunity to promote equity.

4. _Tell us about a time you made a mistake that you learned a lot from. If you encountered the situation again, what would you differently?_

From an early age math and science captivated and inspired me, a passion encouraged and developed by some incredibly dedicated mentors. 
In high school I devoured the sciences, maxing out the math course offerings in my junior year. I loved the logical reasoning, the way a 
problem seemed insurmountable at first, but the diligent breaking down of component parts would slowly clarify a satisfyingly simple 
solution.  As a senior I took the perplexingly difficult 10 person AP Physics class and suddenly found very little mentorship and support 
from my teacher and peers. I struggled to connect with the cold distance created by the competitive, masculine environment. I found that
as the concepts got more demanding, I stopped challenging myself to keep trying. As I transitioned to college, I followed my intrinsic 
passions for social justice and environmentalism and ended up ensconcing myself in the humanities. Despite my childhood dreams of studying
theoretical physics and discovering wormholes, I found myself rejecting of the cold and exclusive world of STEM on principle, because I 
had one demotivating experience. 

I do not regret my educational choices - I love my degree and what it taught me about the wealth of different perspectives the world over.
The mistake lies in allowing myself to forget my passions just because I felt discouraged. I have learned from this and other instances 
that I tend to throw myself wholeheartedly into new tasks and write off the past as folly. I see this application as a chance to amend 
my youthful misjudgement and marry the worlds of science and the arts in the way I did not foresee at university. Armed with a few years 
of life-experience motivating myself through challenging encounters, I have learned to approach problems more divergently so as to 
incorporate the past into the present, rather than abandoning the difficulties I encounter.