Changing the way we think about STEM classes
Why STEM and Humanities need to co-exist
“I think it’s deeply important to recognize the many, many ways that tech is used in different fields because the current narrative of tech tends to exist solely in the context of large tech companies,” Linda said.
Linda Vong is not pursuing a Computer Science degree to become the “next big buck”; she is not thinking about building the next viral app, video game, or social media platform. Instead, Linda is hoping to leverage her technical education for educational equity, representation, and social impact.
“When people think about a CS major, we often think of the stereotypical white, East Asian, or South Asian guy from a higher socioeconomic background. We think of the guy who spent all his time as a kid in a basement either playing video games or coding them. We think of the software engineer at one of the big tech companies. This story, while valid, is incomplete, and there is a great need to share more stories. People often dismiss CS as a potential field of study because they can’t relate with the narratives so often told about CS, so it’s important to remind folks that a person studying CS can be anyone from anywhere, and the role of a computer scientist can be anything, including making positive, ethical, community-based impact.”
Linda paid homage to her parents' post-war journey from Vietnam to the United States. They eventually raised Linda and her two older sisters as Chinese-Vietnamese-Americans in South Seattle. Today, her father is a retired English-Language Learner teacher and her mother is a web developer for the City of Seattle. Coincidentally, she developed interests in both education and math at a young age.
Early in college, she decided to pursue a major in Computer Science and a minor in Education, Learning, & Society to learn more about “educational technology.” She also realized how her upbringing in a predominantly Asian-American neighborhood and education in majority-white classrooms contributed to her complicated relationship with society.
“I am passionate about asking questions regarding equity, inclusion, and justice for myself and others to explore and address, individually and collectively. I believe that by surfacing and asking these questions, I can start and influence some difficult yet necessary conversations, which can then lead to broader cultural shifts and a more equitable world.” Linda said.
Linda’s journey towards Computer Science was not the most ideal experience. When she was told her mentor about her decision to enter CS, she recalls being told that the department would “let [her] in because [she’s] a girl.”
“I laughed it off, but I wish I hadn’t. It’s not OK to say something like that.” Linda said. “I was admitted to the program. I want to believe that I earned my right to be here, but remembering off-hand comments like that from time to time makes me question what many women and people of color often ask themselves: Am I only here as a diversity token? I felt like it dismissed any possibility that my work and knowledge and capabilities might be enough.”
She became more upset when she read an article titled “Why Women Don’t Code” by a current CS lecturer at UW. Linda expresses that she found many of his ideas to be problematic and damaging.
“I had already decided on applying to CS by the time I’d read the article, but if I’d seen the article before really making up my mind, I probably would have second-guessed the major entirely. This makes me think that some potential future CS majors might read what this person with considerable authority — a faculty member — has to say about women in tech and dismiss CS as a field of study as a result.” Linda said.
“When I was admitted, it was disheartening to think about how I would be entering a department that was continuing to employ an instructor who held views I thought to be harmful. Beliefs are unlikely to only exist in thoughts and never manifest in behavior. It also surprised me that despite its talk about valuing diversity and inclusion, the orientation for new CS majors didn’t mention anything about the article or lecturer. If you don’t acknowledge the problem, you can’t address it.”
Gender is not the her concern in the CS major. Linda is also shaken by the “humanities-shaming” culture in STEM.
“I’m hoping it’s mostly joking, but so many CS students belittle their non-STEM course requirements, and there’s even this convoluted sense of superiority many feel over other majors, STEM or not.”
For Linda, intentionally taking classes in both STEM and humanities allows her to develop different lenses to observe, ask questions, and solve complex problems. “STEM classes are super technical and many don’t push students to contextualize their skill sets in considering potential unintended consequences — something I actually learned from a Human-Centered Design & Engineering course — or in building explicitly for positive impact. Humanities classes allow you to learn about the state of people and communities and how they got to be that way — they help you become more culturally-informed and conscious. These classes can be more interesting to me a lot of the time for those reasons.”
One piece of advice she has for students is to take “Education (EDUC) 251: Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity” — a class Linda calls “life-changing” by helping her develop her “sense of identity, agency, and voice.”
Now a Sophomore at UW, Linda claims that her greatest achievement so far is her “personal growth in learning about [herself] and [her] role in society.”
“I went from being more passive when I saw something wrong happening to actively speak up and call things out. If you don’t call someone out for being disrespectful, then they’ll keep being disrespectful. If you don’t ask the questions, then they won’t get asked.”
Linda is currently developing a Registered Student Organization (RSO) that focuses on the intersections between ethics and Computer Science. She continues to play an important role in seeking to improve the culture in and outside of her classes and also offer mentorship to other young women in STEM.
