Aspiring Computer Scientist Plans to Drive the Software Engineering Industry Forward, Creating an Inclusive Space for Women with Greater Access to STEM Careers

ANKENY, IA, UNITED STATES, January 10, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Aspire2STEAM.org, which provides educational scholarships and mentoring to young women and girls who are working toward careers that require education in science, tech, engineering, the arts, or math (STEAM), has awarded Arisa Chue a multi-year LEGACY scholarship.

Arisa is in her Junior year at Stanford University, majoring in Computer Science, with academic interests in exploring the intersection of the abstract concept of linguistics and the concrete subject of Natural Language Processing (NLP).

“Arisa Chue’s education, abilities, and heart will positively impact us all, especially as we endeavor further into the wonderful world of Artificial Intelligence and other technological advancements,” said Cheryl O’Donoghue, CEO at Aspire2STEAM.org. “The more we learn about Arisa, it’s clear she possesses a high level of empathy and emotional intelligence which will be quite useful as we tackle how complex technologies can be used to positively move humanity forward.”

One of Arisa’s passions is to map out new technology enabled processes to help answer some of the many questions that have arisen as Artificial Intelligence (AI) development has exploded across industries. Specifically, she is captivated by learning as much as she can about the intersection of AI with concepts such as Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Arisa’s interest in exploring the intersection of AI and NLP was fueled through a personal connection to her grandmother. After her grandmother suffered a stroke that led to a multitude of complications, including her inability to produce speech, Arisa began to hone in on the nuances of speech production. “After taking an active part in my grandmother’s speech therapy sessions, I began to pay attention to the importance of natural language processing (NLP), connecting humans, machines, and languages through computational methods,” said Arisa. With the help of graduate student mentors, Arisa made significant progress developing machine learning algorithms that recognize human movement and hopes to continue researching this topic in the future.

Arisa has also explored how machines can better comprehend our jargon and how the software developers creating AI can use this enhanced understanding to increase the effectiveness of their creations. In the future, Arisa desires to delve deeper in deciphering emotion in speech and how that contributes to AI engineered verbal analysis. Said Arisa, “Human behavior and language are so complex and the challenge of creating code that understands it all excites me.”

Yet one of Arisa’s greatest aspirations is to help make STEM-focused academic paths and careers more accessible, equitable, and inclusive for women. Arisa experienced first-hand what it feels like to be a minority her freshman year at Stanford University. She knew that her university was a magnet for STEM, yet there were only six girls in her Design and Tech class. She recognized that while more women are entering STEM careers, it’s still heavily dominated by males, and many women find the academic environment uninviting and unsettling. With the determination to change this reality for not only herself but for her female classmates, Arisa has engaged in numerous roles and activities that place emphasis on bridging this gap. During the pandemic, she became president of her school’s Women Interested in Science and Engineering (WISE) organization and worked with a local elementary school to mentor youth. The organization’s members served as role models to young girls and conducted weekly STEM labs for them to immerse themselves in topics involving science and technology. “I find it meaningful to create spaces for women to spread their love for STEM because I believe that our actions can impact the gender imbalance in future STEM classes, leading to more diverse workplaces,” said Arisa.

Today, Arisa continues her advocacy for women in STEM through her mentorship and leadership. Participating in additional programs such as Stanford’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Arisa has discovered that a large part of being a successful role model is to share her own path of success with others so that the virtuous cycle of mentorship can motivate others.


About Aspire2STEAM

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Established in 2018, Aspire2STEAM.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which has earned Guidestar’s Gold Seal for integrity, transparency, and accountability. Aspire2STEAM provides scholarships and mentoring to young women and girls who are working hard—aspiring—to achieve careers that require education in science, tech, engineering, the arts, or math. Aspire2STEAM is committed to helping women and girls with a hand up over the incredible barriers of student debt and rising education costs, and the real, ever-present opportunity barriers that keep them out of most male-dominated industries.

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Cheryl O'Donoghue
Aspire2STEAM
Cheryl@Aspire2STEAM.org

Learn more about what inspires Arisa Chue, Aspire2STEAM LEGACY Scholar

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