Roshni Srikanth
Informatics student
Q: Please share any additional academic plans (dual degree, research focus, minor, specialization, etc.) you may be pursuing.
A: I am a student in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, and I'm also planning to pursue a minor in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management (ERSM).
Q: Please tell us about your background and why you decided to come to the iSchool.
A: I have always defined myself as someone who likes technology, but not just for technology鈥檚 sake. Since middle school, I had always been interested in working in technology, particularly computer science. However, I could not picture myself doing computer science all the time. When I was applying to colleges, I came across the student profiles on the iSchool page, and reading through them convinced me to apply to informatics!
Q: What excites you about the information field?
A: What I like most about informatics is how widely applicable it is, and how much I see it in every situation I am in. After taking INFO 200, I found myself seeing information problems everywhere I went. I am interested in pursuing the data science/software engineering focus areas of Informatics because of how integrated software is in our daily lives, and I want to build solutions that are equitable from beginning to end.
Q: What鈥檚 been your favorite iSchool course or learning experience (i.e. directed fieldwork, research project, etc.)?
A: INFO 340 (Client-side Development) and INFO 498 (The Record of us All) have been my favorite classes so far. In 340, I enjoyed learning a new language that I had never used before, helping me become a better developer and debugger. I have used skills from 340 to make portfolios and websites in my internships! I also loved taking INFO 498 because it was really interesting to look at the history of different ways people have stored information, and how that relates to current events (e.g. vaccine cards). Taking this class really expanded my perspectives as to what information actually is, and how we can use it.
Q: Tell us about an experience you鈥檝e had at the iSchool that has informed or reshaped your career goals?
A: Being introduced to different parts of Informatics has reshaped my career goals. I came into the iSchool wanting to be a software developer and focusing on super back-end and technical stuff. But after taking classes such as INFO 340 and CSE 414, I find databases more interesting and have switched my career path to do something more human-focused.
Q: What about your iSchool journey thus far are you most proud of?
A: I got the opportunity to work alongside Cynthia del Rosario and hold events at high schools. For instance, we organized a hackathon called Fear Less, Tech More which had about 30 participants from different high schools around the area. Three of those students actually got direct admission into the iSchool this year which I鈥檓 very proud of.
Q: What is next on the horizon for you? (i.e., goals or aspirations)
A: This summer, I will be interning as a software development intern at Amazon, and in the future, I plan on working at the intersection of technology and sustainability. One area of work that needs immediate attention is climate change. Large tech companies have a really big environmental impact, so I hope to work within the field of reducing that impact.
Q: What鈥檚 the best advice you have ever received?
A: The best advice I have ever received is to never compete with anyone else but to compete with yourself. Instead of comparing yourself to people getting 100% on tests for example, focus your energy on improving from the last score you got.