Philosophy:

"The most dangerous phrase in the English language is, 'We've always done it this way.'" -Grace Hopper

I stumbled upon this quote at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a conference I was able to attend thanks to the Computer Science department at St. Norbert College. Over the last four years, I've come to realize a few things about change, which lies at the heart of what Grace Hopper said. Nothing can progress without change, and what changes more than technology? It seems as if there is something new everyday, which is very exciting to me. I enjoy learning new things, and technology provides an excellent avenue to attack learning head on. More specifically in terms of programming (my favorite part of Computer Science), I find it satisfying to make a change and see its impact almost immediately.

Not only have I seen change in my field, but in myself as well. My junior year, I had the opportunity to study in Ecuador for one semester. It was an absolutely incredible experience, and to this day I still am not able to explain it in only one sentence. After returning back to campus for my senior year, I discovered that I didn't want to limit myself to one place or one sphere of technology for the rest of my life. For this reason, I am very excited to join GE Healthcare this summer as part of their Information Technology Leadership Program, where I will have the opportunity to perform in four different job roles, including at least one international experience.

To sum it up, my philosophy is this: If you find yourself thinking, "We've always done it this way," you have an excellent chance to innovate, learn something new, and change for the better.