"Hi everyone! My name is Vanessa and I’m a fourth-year Computational Biology major completing certificates in Computer Science and Digital Art and Media. I realized pretty early in my childhood that I had a passion for the visual arts. When I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do due to the stigma surrounding pursuing an artistic career and a general lack of exposure to what careers existed that would allow me to leverage my talents and interests. While I genuinely enjoyed the technical, data-driven nature of my major, it felt like a vital part of me was missing.
I decided to join some design-centric orgs like Orange Magazine and Tandem Studio, and take on side projects so that I could explore the role I wanted art to play in my career. In my computer science courses involving graphics and front-end development, I found myself drawn to UX and interaction design. I loved that I could be involved in a little bit of everything from data, to design, to development. Initially, I was intimidated by entering a male-dominated field and felt like I couldn’t keep up with my peers who seemed to have been coding and interested in tech their entire lives. But now I feel that my artistic background allows me to offer valuable perspectives on how to build digital products, visualize information, and reach creative solutions in an elegant way.
I now realize how important it is for girls to be introduced to the limitless possibilities in tech and shown that their individual strengths can go hand in hand with them early on - that they can lead both successful and meaningful lives without compromising essential parts of who they are. I’m glad that organizations like Re-sonate have strong initiatives to empower women to stand firm as authentic versions of themselves because it truly takes a lot of trial-and-error, courage, and perseverance. That niche thing you’re interested in can really take you a long way."
-Vanessa Astronoto, 4th Year, Computational Biology
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