Tennessee Tech University Department of Computer Science Blog

(This post was authored by Ms. Chelsey Long.)

I have always had a love for technology. I knew how to use a computer before I even started kindergarten, but I never thought that it would become my life. Throughout high school, I had no idea what my career plan was. I had many interests, technology being one of them, but nothing stood out to me as being the one. One day, my math teacher, Ms. Herring, suggested that I apply for the Aspirations in Computing award presented by the National Center for Women and Information Technology, or NCWIT for short. I knew I hadn’t done anything remarkable enough to win an award, so I was hesitant at first. She informed me that it’s not about what you have done, but what you aspire to do. Knowing that I did have an interest in this field and wanting to explore the career possibility, I finally applied and was chosen as a runner-up for Tennessee two years in a row.

The first year’s banquet was held at Tech. We had a nice dinner in the multipurpose room and heard many speeches from women in the computing field. They talked about the underrepresentation of women in the field and discussed how they want to encourage young women to bring diversity to the workplace. I was so inspired by that night that I decided then and there to major in Computer Science. I knew that my main deciding factor for choosing where to study would be the quality of my education, and I wanted to find a school that would best prepare me for my future career. When I learned that Tech has an excellent Computer Science department and heard the testimonies from former students, I knew that I would get the best education possible at Tech.

The time finally came for me to begin my journey at Tech. I was incredibly nervous about my first semester of college. I really had no experience in the field, particularly when it came to programming, and I had no idea what to expect in my classes. I didn’t expect it to be too hard considering that I had always done well in high school, but I was very wrong. It turned out to be extremely challenging. I had to ask for help on pretty much every assignment, and it just wasn’t clicking for me. When finals week rolled around, I was on the verge of giving up and changing my major. However, I decided to stick it out and keep trying, and it definitely paid off. I studied harder than I ever had before and made it through that semester, and I discovered that I actually really enjoyed what I was learning. I knew I had made the right decision by not giving up.

Now I’m three semesters away from graduating, and I have grown so much. Not only have I excelled in my classes, but I have actually had the opportunity to be a teacher’s assistant for three of them. It was very humbling to be able to help students who were in the same boat as I was freshman year. In addition, I am currently serving on a research team led by Dr. Gannod, the new department chair. We are working on a website that will be used by nursing homes in order to tailor their caregiving to fit each individual resident’s needs. This will hopefully make a huge impact in the caregiving community, and I am honored to be a part of this project. Lastly, I have been offered an internship for the summer by a prestigious company called Optum, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for me there. None of these things would’ve happened, however, if I had given up that first semester.

I want to encourage everyone reading this blog to not let fear stop them from trying something new and to persevere even when times seem tough. We don’t know what the future holds for us, so if we really want to make a difference then we should make each day our best.