Diversity initiatives help change the face of Berkeley computer science

December 9, 2019

As a high school student, Lupe Paniagua didn’t think computer science was for her. Coding classes were mostly taken by male students, many with prior experience in the subject, which she found intimidating.

“Anytime someone mentioned computer science, I compared myself to them and I never quite felt like I had the ability to do what they were doing,” Paniagua said. “All my misconceptions of computer science made me believe that the field wasn’t meant for me.”

But an online programming course she took her senior year sparked Paniagua’s passion for code. It also inspired her, as an incoming UC Berkeley student, to participate in CS Kickstart, a one-week course that brings together students with little or no background in computer science to meet each other and learn the basics of the field.

“The program was a life-changing experience for me,” says Paniagua, who now plans to major in computer science, cognitive science or both. “Not only did it expose me to various aspects of computer science and give me areas to explore, but it inspired, motivated and encouraged me as a woman in this world of technology to pursue things that stigma kept away from me. It truly showed me that I can thrive in this field as a first-generation, low-income woman.”

Berkeley’s population of burgeoning computer scientists has recently grown a lot more diverse, thanks in part to a series of programs — like CS Kickstart and its sister programs, CS Scholars and CS Mentors — that were launched to support women and underrepresented minorities in computer science.

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Berkeley News