Meet Ariel Cao (she/her/hers), an incoming Master of Education student at Harvard Graduate School, founder of nonprofit Girls in STEAM, and former cmd-f Logistics Coordinator in 2019–2020.
In the second installment of our Alumni Spotlights series, we spoke with Ariel Cao and learned about her ongoing journey in academia, her passion for lifelong learning, and how nwPlus has shaped her experiences as a woman in STEAM!
Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Name: Ariel Cao (she/her/hers)
Role: Incoming Master of Education student @ Harvard Graduate School, Founder @ Girls in STEAM
Previous Roles in nwPlus: cmd-f Logistics Coordinator (2019–2020)
Your dissertation (at Cambridge University) focused on ways to support access to design education, specifically through a hackathon. You discussed your extensive experience in attending and organizing hackathons, and how that has shaped your personal design education. Could you reflect on that process and share 1–2 key insights?
When I started writing my dissertation, I thought long and hard about what I could write about. One of the things that came to mind was, “How can I integrate what I am really passionate about” — which has been organizing, participating in hackathons all throughout my undergrad — and combine that with a core piece of, “How do we better support access to education, design education and how do we change those processes?” I ended up interviewing a lot of my friends (who were past nwPlus members) about their experiences in ensuring that we create accessible and inclusive opportunities for hackathon participants and how we make those experiences better for them.
What I learned from that experience is that in order to provide access to people in terms of design education — or education in general — it’s really important that we focus on the design aspect: how do we do it in a both collaborative and iterative manner so that the processes are constantly thought over?
We always ask our community for support so that whatever we create at the end of the day truly is inclusive to everyone who comes to our events, because we incorporate everyone’s ideas to make the event a better place.
How will your upcoming studies at Harvard University differ from your previous studies at Cambridge University?
I’m going to be starting a Master of Education at Harvard, and my previous degree was a Master of Philosophy in Education. The key difference is that my previous degree was a research-focused degree, and my upcoming degree is a thought-based degree.
I’m excited to learn the methodology to bring out what I’m really passionate about — which ultimately is how to provide access to equitable, accessible, and good quality education to people. Whether that’s through my nonprofit Girls in STEAM, or through community building and lifelong learning for students, I’m really excited to finally put theory into practice this upcoming year.
Could you reflect on your decision to choose academia over industry, and its importance for aspiring technologists?
I’m going to be very honest: a big reason is that I would be very nervous if I went into technology right away. First of all, I am a woman in STEAM, and I think when we try to enter the tech industry, it can be very daunting and scary. As someone who loves to learn, I wanted to gain skills and other insights before I truly set foot into the tech world. Because I’m so passionate about lifelong learning, I want to continue to use what I’ve learned in my undergrad for technology, art, and design, and use those skills in an ed-tech (educational technology) realm — that would be really cool. I am looking forward to what I can learn in my research this coming year.
Why did you decide to found Girls in STEAM and what does it mean to you?
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, and to me, the “A” also stands for access. I founded this organization from a place of frustration — I felt that when I was in high school and my early years of college, I wasn’t really exposed to anything other than software development in the STEAM world, whereas there’s also UI/UX, product design, and project management, etc. There are so many realms to explore in the STEAM industry that students aren’t being told about throughout high school or early years of college.
Technology is growing at such a fast pace and the speed at which our education curriculum is developing is slower. I want to be able to bridge this gap for people, especially for women and gender-diverse individuals, because I felt that wasn’t something that I had access to in high school.
I wanted to create that community for women around me so that we can all grow and learn together, and that’s why Girls in STEAM was founded.
I am very happy that I get to constantly surround myself with individuals who are just as passionate about this topic as I am and who are always so excited to learn, grow, and keep going.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger university self?
The one piece of advice I’d give to my younger university self is to not be too caught up with my grades. Similarly, [to] think more financially responsibly and make decisions that will help me in my future career, such as possibly looking at more internships.
I took the time to have lots of leadership experiences, I went on exchange and travelled the world. I could have found a better balance, and there were times when I was very concerned with how I was doing academically, but I’ve finished a Master’s at Cambridge, and I’m doing a second Master’s at Harvard, so don’t be so stressed about school. If I can do it, you can all do it! At the end of the day, your grades are just a number. What you get out of the university experience is valued so much more in the long run.
What is your favourite memory from your time at nwPlus?
My favourite memory was cmd-f! Because it happened right before COVID-19, it was my last memory of me with many other people — before the pandemic hit and I saw no one for two years. Every time I look back on my university experience, I am very fond of those 24–48 hours — everyone was so excited to be there and create an inclusive space for women and gender-diverse individuals to come and hack.
Looking back, I can’t believe we did that right before the pandemic and how quickly the world changed after that. So my fondest memory would definitely have to be cmd-f, even though during those 48 hours I was pulling my hair out and running around like a headless chicken. To this day, I have very fond memories of that experience.
You were a cmd-f logistics coordinator in nwPlus — what do you think was the biggest lesson or skill you learned from that experience?
The biggest lesson or skill I learned is being able to adapt no matter what the situation is. Given the fact that cmd-f is over 24 hours long, you’re very groggy and sometimes annoyed — but very well-fed, which is a good thing. At times, there are situations that throw us off guard, and even though it could be very stressful, we have to look at it from a very calm and objective perspective and know that there are hackers and volunteers depending on us. Being able to adapt has been a very valuable skill that I am grateful for to this day.
What role did hackathons play in your journey?
Hackathons have given me a community of amazing friends, whether it be the friends I hacked with or organized hackathons with. These people have impacted me in a truly positive way, because they have educated me on how to be better. Now, I am constantly inspired by the things that they’re doing in their careers and school lives.
What’s another question you wish I had asked you and how would you have answered?
A question that I think would be fun to answer is, “What is your least favourite part about nwPlus?” To be quite frank, there actually aren’t a lot of “least favourite” parts about nwPlus that I can remember, but one of them has to be manual labour. (laughs) Most people think that we’re an organization that mostly goes, “beep boop, computer”, and things happen. But there’s actually a lot of work that goes behind our events.
For example, I was always the Yerba Mate rep, so one of my biggest struggles was how to fit 50 cases of Yerba Mate in an Evo to make it to our hackathon, which was backbreaking. Thankfully, there were other nwPlus members helping me carry them. Although I don’t love the manual labour piece, it’s so fun to recall.
Could you describe your experience at nwPlus in three words or phrases?
Three phrases I would use are:
- Revitalizing — because as nwPlus events are often 24-hour events, we always have to be creative in thinking of ways that make us excited and energized.
- Intellectually challenging — we are constantly faced with tasks, such as how we get 300 people to have a meal by using a QR code. It’s also challenging because you’re constantly inspired by other hackers to see their projects and formulate their thoughts and processes.
- Worldwide community — I’ve been able to travel and meet nwPlus members from all over the world. It feels nice, warm, and fuzzy inside when I can go to a different place and know that there’s someone I can hang out with.
Where can everyone learn more about what you are working on and connect more with you online?
I’m very excited to meet and connect with all of you!
LinkedIn: Ariel Cao
Instagram: @arieljcao, @girlsinsteamorg
Stay tuned for our next installment in this four-part series, coming next Wednesday, August 30, 2023! Check out our Instagram and TikTok @nwplusubc for a short-form video format of this interview.
This article was written by Jennifer Shui and edited by Victoria Lim.
