How Fatima's Interest in Data Led Her to Pursue Studies in Cognitive Science.
Fatima Aw is currently a sophomore at Yale University. She's enrolled in their combined Computer Science and Psychology program. Fatima loves integrating her psychology and neuroscience experiences with learning new programming skills in her computer science courses. Fatima took one of my data storytelling workshops and shares this is where her interest in data began. Read more about her data journey and what her future career plans are.
Allen Hillery: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Fatima Aw: My name is Fatima Aw and I am currently a sophomore attending Yale University studying cognitive science and computer science.
AH: Now that you attend Yale, have you triedNew Haven style pizza?
FA: Yes I have! It is definitely a unique style of pizza-- very crispy and cheesy! Yet, I'm from NJ/NYC, so of course I think we do pizza better!
AH: How did you get interested in data?
FA: I got interested in data through the Data Stories Internship. It was such a cool experience being able to visualize data in that way! Also, having a tangible project at the end was super rewarding.
AH: Can you tell us about your high school and the program you attended?
I went to a magnet/vocational/career academy school. Here, we focused on health science and got hands-on experiences in the hospital! This school was meant to prepare you for a career in the medical field. I applied as an 8th grader and watching the show Grey's Anatomy influenced me to pursue a health-science focused education.
AH: How did your High School experience influence where you chose to attend college?
FA: I loved my school and received a great education and met fantastic people but ultimately decided the clinical side of the medical field wasn't for me. I then applied for colleges that had majors that combined my love of learning about health sciences + data science as well. Yale has a great cognitive science program where I can still learn psychology and neuroscience (subjects I have exposure to from H.S.) while developing technical skills in comp sci and computation.
AH:How important do you think your exposure to data has been to your education so far?
FA: Data inspired me to pursue an education in computer science. I particularly love the analytical facet of data and the power data has.
AH: Where do you see your career after graduating college?
FA: I see myself pursuing a career in software engineering after graduating college. I would love to end up as Program Manager later on in life!
AH: What is one thing you would like to tell high school students?
I would tell H.S. students that life doesn't end after high school! You still have your entire life ahead of you and you do not need to have your life figured out right now.
AH: What is one thing you would like to tell young women interested in data?
I would say KEEP PUSHING! It will be hard sometimes, but see it through! We need more women in data-- you got this!