Support an aspiring CS grad

(Olivia is a 16 year old multimedia artist, programmer and high school junior from Queens, New York. Her work centers the intersection of computer science, art and social activism. )

This summer I applied to Carnegie Mellon University's AP/EA Pre-college summer program to take classes in Computer Science and sustainable social movements. However, I was unable to receive any financial aid towards my tuition and board. Despite this, I still dreamed of participating, so I re-applied to the pre-college program and was accepted as a full-pay applicant. Unfortunately, I currently only have enough for about half the tuition. 


Below is my story of how computer science and activism became so deeply engrained in my life. 

My interest in STEM was first nurtured by a community outreach organization called Black Girls Code and grew as I internalized their mission and took seriously its mandate to use creative thinking to make computer science education an accessible reality for my peers. After winning my first hackathon with Black Girls Code in the 7th grade, I was offered (as a prize) the opportunity to fly to New Orleans and mentor girls at another BGC hackathon. Being able to lead my group of “mentees” to 2nd place, only months after proving myself in front of judges for the first time, filled me with indescribable pride. This was the beginning of my cycle of teaching, learning and uplifting other young girls through computer science.  

Just before high school, my mother encouraged me to begin volunteering as a technical instructor. I had already published my first video game to the App Store and was intent on pursuing computer science as a medium for artistic expression.  Suddenly, I was thrust in front of twenty elementary school girls, introducing them to loops and conditional statements and doing mundane things like helping girls get crumbs out of their hair. It was a happy experience, instilling in me a deep respect for community building and social justice.  No longer did the computer mean mere intellectual challenge, nor was it simply an extension of my artist’s paintbrush--it was political. While it was a site of possibility, I came to understand it as a site of responsibility as well.


Later, collaborating with teens I met at a local hackathon in 2015, I became a core organizer of the Young Hackers , a group of high-school students hosting STEAM events throughout New York City. Our goal, to this day, is to make computer science more accessible for NYC teens and diversify the next generation of technologists --raising the status of black and brown teens, girls and LGBT youth in the field.  Together we’ve thrown seven hackathons, four tours of  top-tier tech company spaces  as well as two college admissions workshops.

My interests in this area continued throughout middle and high school. I organized hackathons , spoke on panels  and championed computer science education for my peers . In 2016, I showcased the iOS game I developed on national television at the AOL Makers Conference  in southern California. Not only did the CTO of the United States play my video game onstage, but I spent the rest of the weekend rubbing shoulders with some of the country's most influential female activists, leaders and scholars. I left energized to inspire others and spent the following summers interning--first designing an edutainment board game for a company’s STEM curriculum , then as a sustainable development intern, learning the nitty-gritty details of non-profit administration. 
I believe that computer science can be used as a tool to change the lives of others. I hope that through attending Carnegie Mellon's summer pre-college program, I can gain the tools to enact sustainable social change in my community, while simultaneously advancing my knowledge in the field that I love. Please help me achieve this goal!