Nina Saravanan

Year in School
Freshman

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence

Research Mentor

Research/Engagement Experience

Interests

Project Title

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
In my 6th grade computer lab we went through weekly lessons on things from Google Sheets to minor programming platforms. I recall the week we got into PythonTurtle, and we skimmed through it pretty quickly, but I found myself going back to the website when I got home, where I continued to mess with the code. From there, I developed an interest in programming, as I continued to use various coding websites to learn languages. So when I got to high school, I knew I wanted to go into programming, and was able to advance my learning. I was able to involve myself in various computer science-oriented things, like working at CodeNinjas, where I taught programming to kids, as well as my internship at the Deer Valley Unified School District Instructional Technology Department, where I worked with lesson planning and robotics competitions.

What social interests matter to me?

Why did you choose Illinois?
I chose Illinois because of the nature of the computer science program. Illinois is known for its up-to-date curriculum, as well as immense research opportunities. I am interested in being involved in research as well as technical work, and Illinois has a good balance between both.

What are your passions outside of computing?
Apart from computing, coming from Arizona, one of my favorite things to do is going hiking, especially in the winter. I also love trying new foods and visiting different places. I’ve been to many countries, including Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

What has been one of your favorite experiences at Illinois that you would like to share with prospective students? (For Continuing UIUC Students)

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!
Some of my favorite things are smiskis, legos, and calculus.

Research Description

Biography
Hey! My name is Nina. I'm a computer science major at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I love traveling; a couple notable places I’ve been are Sweden, Norway, and Denmark! Some of my past experiences in CS range from my job at CodeNinjas as a tutor, where I taught JavaScript, C# on Unity, and Lua on Roblox Studio, to when I interned at the DVUSD IT Department working with robotics. I also was a part of CTE Ambassadors, where we would go out to middle schools and discuss the importance of career technical education and why CS is important.