The Allen School Scholars Program (Allen Scholars) is a one-year cohort-based program that focuses on supporting emerging leaders from first-generation, low-income, and underserved communities from Washington state who are pursuing a degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
Coming into the University of Washington as an undergraduate, I participated in ASSP! This program directly influenced my trajectory toward teaching and research. Upon completing ASSP, I immediately became a teaching assistant (TA) for the supplemental courses offered by the program.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working alongside Professors Lauren Bricker, Matt Wang, and Adrian Salguero as part of the teaching staff for the series.
Teaching the ASSP supplemental courses has genuinely been among the most rewarding experiences of my career. Working with my students also allowed me to see the impact that computing research has on people of underrepresented identities. Professor Lauren Bricker and I further explored and codified our learnings from ASSP through our SIGCSE 2026 panel, Providing Supplemental Programs for First Generation and-or Low-Income CS Students in Trying Financial Times. Furthermore, working within ASSP motivated my research on Responsible AI.
Here are some of my favorite photos with the students, TAs, and staff of Allen Scholars over the years:
