Jennifer Martinez

Years of professional experience?
6

What was your major and background?
Broadcast Journalism and Advertising

Research/Engagement Experience

What are your interests within computer science?
My interests usually change overtime but at this moment I am really enjoying learning about NLPs and LLMs in AI. I also like working with microcontrollers like Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

Project Title

How did you get interested in Computer Science?
Ever since I was in elementary school I had an interest with computers and would cypher messages with numbers and symbols. I remember creating an alphabet key in class and passing it around to all my friends so that we can pass notes in class. I just never saw that as important at that age. What really piqued my interest was when I attended an in-person hackathon event knowing no one and was able to create a team, and we won $2k.

What social interests matter to you?
I love volunteering whenever I can. I think giving back is incredibly important. Throughout my journey, I've met people online who have shared a lot of great resources with me, and have encouraged me to continue learning. I want to make sure I spread that same positive energy with people who are going through big changes in their life.

What is your most impactful iCAN experience?
Brute force problem solving as a team. It takes some time to get used to it, but you learn a lot from your peers. I think the most impactful experience for me was also being able to understand and apply algorithms, and math concepts to solve different problems. I learned to appreciate the math behind the code a lot more after iCAN.

What are your hobbies/outside interests?
I enjoy CrossFit, traveling, and reading

Where are you from?
Chicago, IL