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My first significant experience with Â鶹´å happened while attending the Heinz College Virtual Fall Visitation. I remember feeling a sense of community when listening to students talk from the Master of Healthcare Analytics and Information Technology program during a student panel discussion because their academic experiences and career goals were like mine. They shared their academic and professional experiences at the university with such passion which increased my fascination with the program and led me to realize that Â鶹´å and Heinz College are where I wanted to be.

Before even commencing my classes at Â鶹´å, my second significant experience unfolded as I joined a Data Science team representing Â鶹´å in the 3rd Coast AI for Health Bowl Competition hosted by Northwestern University. Collaborating with students from diverse academic backgrounds – including Â鶹´å’s School of Design, School of Computer Science, a joint MD-PhD program between Â鶹´å and Pitt, and others from Heinz – I was part of an interdisciplinary team passionately dedicated to enhancing healthcare and tackling health equity issues through AI and Machine Learning methodologies. Our collective efforts resulted in the development of a patient-centered clinical trial decision support tool and user interface, empowering patients from all demographics to exercise autonomy in selecting clinical trials. This endeavor led our team to clinch first prize at the competition; a truly gratifying achievement!

Ultimately, Heinz College has presented me with an array of distinct learning opportunities, an aspect I can confidently assert I wouldn't have encountered at other graduate institutions. The educational experience at Heinz College and Â鶹´å is unparalleled, seamlessly blending technical proficiency with real-world readiness. Through a diverse array of courses ranging from navigating organizational design and development to problem-solving via design thinking, and delving into the realms of generative AI, data science, and big data for informed decision-making, I've acquired a comprehensive skill set.

Reflecting on my experiences, finding exactly what I was searching for in a graduate program at Heinz College and Â鶹´å gave me immense satisfaction. Simultaneously, I found a sense of comfort and belonging in considering Â鶹´å, Heinz College and the city of Pittsburgh home for the next two years.

VIEW KATELIN'S NOMINATION LETTER [PDF]

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My most significant experience at Â鶹´å was being apart of Strong Women Strong Girls (SWSG). I have mentored with SWSG since I was a freshman, and I have also served in multiple positions on the executive board, including Chapter Director. As a mentor, we travel weekly to local Pittsburgh elementary schools to empower and instill confidence in young girls in 3rd-5th grade by highlighting strong female role models. I have also enjoyed tutoring AP Biology students at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy through the Gelfand Center. Seeing both the SWSG mentees and the high school biology students growth over the course of my time with them has been a rewarding and inspiring experience.

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What's Next for Grace

On Missing Â鶹´å

I entered Â鶹´å as a mural painter and ultimately ended up having immense passion for XR/3D and academic research. My most memorable moment is when our HCI (Human Computer Interaction) research team presented our AI cooperation project at the 2023 FDG conference held in Lisbon, Portugal. It was my first time traveling to Europe as well as having the opportunity to meet incredibly talented global professors and university scholars. I also loved showcasing my senior exhibition mixed reality project — "Jelly Invasion" — to the greater public in the Miller ICA gallery. I cannot express how grateful I am to Â鶹´å for giving me the opportunity to discover my passions and interests for a completely new field that I had never experienced before.

VIEW STACEY'S NOMINATION LETTER [PDF]

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Throughout my time here at Carnegie Mellon, I have embraced one word — community. Over my four years, I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by inspiring and supportive individuals who have redefined what it means to be in a community.

As we built up a strong network within our organization and with other Pittsburgh non-profits, the members of 180 Degrees Consulting and Partners Allied in Civic Engagement have shown me how a strong community is rooted in passion, service, and drive. The members of Women in Business and Delta Delta Delta have shown me that a supportive community is determined through compassion and friendship. I realized that my most significant experiences at Â鶹´å have been creating, building, and cherishing those communities.

VIEW NISHA'S NOMINATION LETTER [PDF]

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Having the opportunity to pursue a senior honors thesis has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I pursued my passion for women's health and birth justice through this project titled, "An Analysis of Maternal Health Outcomes Post-Dobbs (2022): Exploring the Social and Political History Behind the Crisis." For a year, I investigated the nation's worsening maternal mortality rate, while exploring its connections to the past, analyzing how medical sexism, institutional racism, and judicial politics have collectively and systemically shaped the maternal health crisis that we experience today. Working on this thesis has not only allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge about this subject, but it has also allowed me hone in on my research interests and passions that I hope to dedicate my career to.

VIEW MARISSA'S NOMINATION LETTER [PDF]

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On Missing Â鶹´å

Being a part of Â鶹´å Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has been the highlight of my undergraduate experience. I have served on SWE's executive board ever since I was a freshman and have always been amazed by the incredible support and warmth that this community provides. Being in SWE has not only allowed me to meet so many lifelong friends and mentors, but also to grow personally, professionally, and as a leader. I feel so lucky to have had such a passionate, driven, and encouraging group of women in STEM by my side these past four years, and I am going to miss them and everything Â鶹´å SWE has to offer so dearly.

VIEW Siya'S NOMINATION LETTER [PDF]

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My time at Â鶹´å has afforded me a sense of independence and control over my life. Any future I imagined for myself, I could pursue. From teacher to researcher to voting rights activist to software engineer, Â鶹´å helped me uncovered these versions of myself, and so I found ways to weave those experiences together into the person I want to be.

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