Fireside Chats: Spotlight on she256’s Recolor 2019 Scholars!
This April marked the successful completion of our second annual scholarship program. We invited eight high school girls all the way from Maryland to San Diego to spend the day at Recolor 2019. Our scholars started the day with an intro to blockchain presentation led by she256 team members Elaine and Nataliya, the leaders behind she256’s Block-Change initiative. They had the opportunity to mingle with speakers, panelists, and our team throughout the day and ask questions about blockchain technology and its applications. Our team was so impressed with these amazing women and the quality of the questions they asked. We wanted to share their accomplishments and thoughts about the conference with our community.
Alyssa Umino
Alyssa is an aspiring writer/programmer/engineer/journalist/designer who finds it challenging, yet rewarding, to balance all these interests. Her life is a myriad mess of everything she loves; she takes special interest in pushing her limits (in life or in Calculus), redefining expectations, and taking on challenges. Right now, this Jill-of-all-trades is striving to become a software engineer or UI/UX designer who potentially writes on the side.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: One of the most memorable things from Recolor 2019 was getting to talk to Tara Tan of IDEO CoLab. She has a Master’s in Design and Tech, which combines two of my favorite interests, so I wanted her advice on the subject. To my delight, not only did she provide a deeper insight as to how I can break into graphic design and UI/UX, she was also really supportive of my interests and gave me hope towards my potential future in the field.
Talk/panel you enjoyed: The Diversity & Inclusion Panel was especially striking. Despite being aware of the gender gap in tech, I was under the impression that the issue was improving. So imagine my surprise when I went to my first-ever coed hackathon, an event of around a hundred participants, and I’m one of less than ten girls. I thought the D&I panel touched on some very pertinent issues in the tech industry today, and I quickly found myself agreeing with the panel’s stances, admiring their tenacity, and laughing at their bold, unforgettable stories.
Final thoughts: I was inspired by the amazing members of she256 team. Just by talking to them, I could instantly recognize their passion for what they do. They encouraged me to get even more involved in tech, and with their help, I plan to start a blockchain club in my own high school. I want to share what I learned to inspire others in the same way I was inspired at Recolor 2019.
Lanchi Nguyen (@lanchibng)
Lanchi is a high school senior from Maryland and an incoming freshman at University of Southern California. She loves all things design — she has worked as a design director for her school’s newspaper, created marketing materials to raise $22,000 for a non-profit, spearheaded brochures production for the city of Rockville, and made designs for videos with 10+ million views. In college, she hopes to learn more about the intersection of technology and design, and gain the skills to make an impact on the world.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: “In the blockchain space, no one is an expert with 10+ years of experience, unless you’re Satoshi Nakamoto”. This is what the she256 team opened with in the “Intro to Blockchain” workshop for the scholars. In one hour, we learned the technical foundation of blockchain with a beginner-friendly presentation and started off strong for a day of rigorous learning.
Talk/panel you enjoyed: The conference was a chance for me to absorb as much information as possible. The talk that stayed with me the most was Tara Tan’s “Designing for Adoption”. She presented the three major steps that a new user takes to get acquainted to crypto (creating wallet, acquiring crypto, making transactions) and how to make UX improvements to each step. The talk turned the unfamiliar into the familiar: after all, general UX principles are the same everywhere.
Final thoughts: At the end of the day, I left with the knowledge that I could take part in shaping the blockchain space in its early days with my interest in design. Thanks to the scholarship, I was able to meet inspiring women who have helped me to overcome any fear I had about entering the field. I am energized and ready to learn more. Most of all, I am hopeful about standing on stage at a future she256 conference.
Reach out to Lanchi on her LinkedIn and website!
Anjali Gupta
Anjali is a junior in high school who is interested in math and science. She competes in the Math Olympiad (AMC, AIME, etc.), Biology Olympiad, and Physics Olympiad. She plans on pursuing a career in STEM, possibly in the blockchain space.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: My biggest takeaway from Recolor 2019 is that beginners like me have a chance of building a career in the blockchain space. Most careers related to technology seem daunting to enter and innovate in because it seems like everything has already been done. In contrast, Recolor taught me that anyone can become an expert in a niche topic within the blockchain space if they put in the time.
Talk/panel you enjoyed: I was amazed by the Social Impact Panel, because I didn’t know that blockchain is being used to help people in poverty and difficult economic situations. I enjoyed hearing Jill Carlson talk about her work in this area in Venezuela.
Final thoughts: I’m glad that she256 exists in the blockchain space now, because most other tech fields were developed without diversity in mind, and now people are really struggling to change that.
Eshani Patel (@eshaniii16)
Eshani is a sophomore in high school who hopes to pursue a career in computer science, specifically working with applications of artificial intelligence to medicine. She is a member of Technovation, a club that encourages girls to solve real world problems with coding and business. She enjoys creating mobile applications through her participation in other clubs and hackathons. Eshani was a winner at the she256 Designathon and enjoyed learning about how effective UI design can improve a user’s overall experience. Outside of computer science, she participates in Science Olympiad, where she has won at the state and national level. She currently plays varsity basketball at her high school.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: I learned so many fascinating things about blockchain, in finance, legal, and computational areas of this disruptive technology. One big takeaway from the “Blockchain for Good” Panel was that through accessibility, awareness, and education, blockchain can be used as a force for good, from aiding transactions and money transfers to reducing pressures of inflation in a country where the currency is volatile.
Talk/panel you enjoyed: From the “Designing for Adoption” talk, I learned about the many challenges we need to evaluate as technology is designed to improve the user experience. I also enjoyed the diversity panel, which helped me understand the challenges people face to feel safe and included in their workplace, as well as the crucial necessity for diversity.
Final thoughts: I was able to meet many inspiring women in blockchain, learn about their work and their views, as well as meet like minded high school students who are interested in this up and coming technology. I’m grateful to have received the opportunity to attend Recolor, and it has inspired me to explore the blockchain space.
Constance Chiang
Constance Chiang is a senior at Granada Hills Charter High School. She is one of the founders of an organization called Empowered Period, whose mission is to empower victims of domestic violence and promote the use of eco-friendly menstrual products. With the Archer Research Grant, Constance prototyped an affordable biodegradable menstrual pad and she intends on continuing her research in college.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: Before Recolor 2019, I had never heard of blockchain, but throughout the conference, I learned what blockchain was, how it worked, and how it could be used to solve existing problems.
Talk/panel you enjoyed: In the Social Impact panel I learned that cryptocurrency is popular in countries like Venezuela that face hyperinflation and economic instability. I was fascinated by the idea of not only using blockchain for commercial use, but also to help people.
Final thoughts: As a she256 Scholar, I am grateful for the opportunity to meet women who are passionate about the development of blockchain technology. I was inspired by the achievements that women have made within the blockchain sphere, and now want to pursue research in the blockchain space.
Jane Duong
Jane is a current high school senior at High Tech LA. Her accomplishments include establishing a community service club that has fundraised over $1000, achieving finalist status for the UCLA Green Shorts Film Competition, and serving as a class representative for student council. She will be attending UCSD (class of 2023) as a Third World Studies Major. In the future she plans on joining the UN or Peace Corps.
Biggest takeaway from Recolor: I learned that I shouldn’t be intimidated by anything related to STEM! The women in the panels were truly inspiring. They each confirmed that there is so much more to blockchain than just cryptocurrency. There will be a paradigm shift in the way people think of digital currency and privacy in the future. I want to be a part of this movement.
If you are interested in the she256 scholarship program, be sure to apply at when the next she256 conference is announced! Contact Roshni Rawal at roshnirawal@berkeley.edu with any questions or comments.
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