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| Staff Mini-Biography: Savanna |
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WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?  WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?  

I grew up in the Redmond/Bellevue areas.  I was homeschooled from kindergarten to 12th 
grade.  Now I am a second year student at UW, in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, 
and studying Computer Science and Informatics.


WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPOSURE TO COMPUTER SCIENCE?

I first learned about computer science (and that computer science is much more than 
programming) at an all girls DawgBytes summer camp, hosted by the UW CSE department.  
It was my first programming experience ever, and we learned in the language Processing.js, 
which is what you will be learning in CSE 120!


WHAT GETS YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT COMPUTER SCIENCE?

I love how logical computer science is.  I get really excited about algorithmic puzzles 
and riddles.  I can immediately bond with people over discussions about these types of 
puzzles.  This brings up another thing I love about computer science -- how strong the 
culture and community is.  When I went to my first hackathon a group of us took a bus 
together and we shared riddles on the way back.  It was a wonderfully stimulating 
conversation.  I also had the opportunity to participate in a Girls Who Code summer 
immersion program, where I got to bond with nineteen other girls over computer science.  
We were also paired with mentors who work at Google.  These are just a few examples of my 
experiences with strong, supportive computer science communities.


WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?

Any type of puzzle solving
Making art out of whatever I can find: 
 - 3D printing, laser cutting, hand lettering, drawing, 
   painting, crafting, Arduino projects, etc.
Writing poetry
Biking
Swing dancing
Singing (jazz, choral, a cappella)

I am good at...
Talking while barely moving my mouth (according to my mom)
Getting a lot of sleep
Picking through food
Contorting myself into weird positions (according to my roommate)


HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING REMARKABLE?  HAS ANYTHING MEMORABLE HAPPENED TO YOU?

I became a multi-cellular organism.  I woke up this morning.  I am conscious and self-aware.


WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR TIME THIS QUARTER?

Besides classes, and being a TA in this class, I will...
Be a tutor/mentor for the Pipeline Project
Participate in UW's iGEM club (for synthetic biology)
Continue to swing dance and be part of UW Swing Kids' performance team
Bike as often as possible!
Leave time to pursue spontaneous activities that pop up