In case you've missed the engaging series of interviews involving engineering and computer science students under the hashtag #ILookLikeAnEngineer, one of the latest undergraduates highlighted in the series is Akanksha Kevalramani (pictured). The sophomore (Class of '18) majoring in Computer Science spoke with the Jacobs School of Engineering blog in late January.
Coding is a favorite pastime of the international student, who chose engineering at UC San Diego because she was "really impressed by how far this university had come in such a short time," said Kevalramani, adding that she "could see this university growing a lot in the years to come in terms of education, infrastructure and research opportunities."
Kevalramani also said that one of her career goals is to "affect the way women are represented in STEM fields." Indeed, the #ILookLikeAnEngineer hashtag began trending on Twitter last fall as a vehicle to undermine the stereotypes that tend to dissuade female students from pursuing engineering degrees or jobs n the field. (The creator of the original hashtag was a female software engineer in the Bay Area who wanted to counter typical depictions of engineering and computer science as men-only professions.
"I believe that no one should be judged or mistreated based on another’s assumptions," said Kevalramani. "I believe this campaign is an excellent way to raise awareness about that, and the fact that people here care about things like these makes me even more proud of UC San Diego."
Read the full interview and others in the series on the Jacobs School blog.