Lily Zinthefer

Year in School
Freshman

Major

Research Interests

Research Mentor

Research/Engagement Experience

Interests

Project Title

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
As a lifelong math enthusiast, I’ve always been fascinated by logical steps and computations. This expanded into a greater appreciation as I started playing video games. I wanted to know how these systems worked. My parents supported this greatly. When I was young, I was coding with a digital turtle to create spirographs and making basic html sites. This led me to join VEX robotics and continue it until my senior year. I finally got to code while working in a team! I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given to study computer science, and I'm beyond excited that I get to contribute to it through research.

What social interests matter to me?

Why did you choose Illinois?
Illinois is a top computer science school, and it prioritizes interdisciplinary innovation. My major is unique to Illinois. It allows me to combine my passions for computation and equity in medicine. Additionally, Illinois encourages exploration with engineering. I'm offered so many resources and people to connect with. I'm supported every step of the way.

What are your passions outside of computing?
Gender and racial equality in STEM is lacking. It impacts more people as the tech industry booms and influences everyday life. To get better and more ethical innovations, different perspectives need to be included. It’s everyone’s responsibility to be open minded and educate themselves on how to better serve their community as engineers. Continuing efforts of inclusion are needed to make STEM more equitable.

What has been one of your favorite experiences at Illinois that you would like to share with prospective students? (For Continuing UIUC Students)
The Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) are a fantastic way to make new friendships and build hirable skills. As a bonus, many offer free workshops and social events! I was initially intimidated to be around such intelligent and talented upperclassmen, but they all want to help.

What has been one of your favorite experiences as a CS STAR? (For Returning CS STARS)

What is my most impactful college experience?

These are a few of my favorite things!
I love my mom, dad, and little sister, cats, snowboarding, swimming, lifting weights, reading comic books, and listening to music.

Research Description

Biography
Hi! I'm Lily, a computer science and bioengineering student at UIUC. I'm from Oak Park, IL. I competed in VEX robotics since middle school, eventually winning state and making it to the world championship my senior year. I also competitively swam and played water polo. Currently, I'm part of UIUC's Women in Computer Science and am a project lead in MediMech. I'm passionate about using technology to improve medicine. In my free time, I like reading comics and history books, calling family, and exercising while listening to music.