珍妮Tafoya
Longtime Moscow Resident Thrives in Computer Science Program
University of Idaho welcomes students from all over the world. Statewide, nationwide and internationally, students are eager to further their education in Moscow.
One student made her mark in the community even before attending U of I.
珍妮Tafoya is a fourth-year student majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics and pre-health. She is planning on graduating from the 工程学院 2024年春天.
Tafoya出席 莫斯科高中 在进入伊利诺伊大学之前. Her love of the friendly campus and town encouraged her to stay in the area and pursue her degree at U of I.
“… culture was just so different, and it was very friendly,塔芙雅说. “I felt like I could really bloom and blossom here.”
When choosing her degree, Tafoya considered her upbringing. Her father collected desktop computers that she and her sister played on, exploring the science and math that went into the devices’ hardware. She knew from a young age that she wanted to study a STEM-related field. Computer science allowed Tafoya to learn more about her passions.
Outside of academics, Tafoya is involved in multiple campus organizations that fit her interests. She is chair of U of I’s chapter of the national Association for Computer Machinery. She serves as vice president of Women in Computer Science and is a member of the 女工程师学会. 她也是 δ 女学生联谊会.
Tafoya在 Office of Information Technology (OIT)，前身为ITS. She discovered the position at a campus job fair. Tafoya uses her skills in hardware functionality to work the back end of the office as part of the “net team”. She often assists with telecommunications, sets up networking and manages hardware like switches and routers.
Tafoya thinks she hit her stride in college during her third year, when she started investigating specific career paths in computer science. This is helping her explore her post-graduation options.
“I took an electronic control unit course by 春天的软件, and I realized I really liked the hardware component. That made me think about different career paths — like possibly grad school and electrical or computer engineering, or working as a hardware engineer for 选取,塔芙雅说. “I also took CS 400, a major and career exploration seminar. I realized that there were different job opportunities I could participate in, 比如网页开发, or teaching as a profession, or front and back-end development.”
She is also open to the idea of combining her work with her background and interests in psychology or the medical field.
Tafoya collaborated with 职业服务 on her career development, attending events and receiving advice on interview preparation, cover letter reviews and resume reviews.
“Utilize the 职业服务 (office),” Tafoya advised her fellow students. "Come in for applications, interview, prep, resume writing, anything goes. It doesn't take that much time and you'll get so much out of it.”
为了未来, Tafoya would like to stay in the West, preferably in a technological hub like Seattle or San Francisco to pursue a job in AI, 数据分析, front-end software development, app development or a similar field.
凯蒂Hockema
职业服务 Marketing Intern
