Three Sacred Heart Greenwich seniors, Edilia Bueno, Emma Caruso, and Nicole Mellert, will pursue degrees in computer science in college.  They will all be combining their interests in technology, problem-solving, and programming at their respective colleges while embodying Goal Three of Sacred Heart’s Goals and Criteria, a social awareness which impels to action, through using their computer science related degrees to give back to others. 

At Rochester Institute of Technology, Edilia will be double-majoring in computer science and international business to prepare her for future career goals.  After graduating from college, Edilia hopes to use her technical skills to help those in need around the world.  She is also interested in other careers involving computer science, such as product management and software engineering. 

Edilia regards the numerous science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) focused programs she has participated in as preparation for college academics.  These opportunities have contributed to Edilia’s analytical thinking skills and passion for using computer science to help others.  Last summer, Edilia joined a Girls Who Code program that allowed her to create a website to benefit immigrants by showing important information for accessing free attorneys, scholarships, and defending rights.

Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization focused on providing young women with programming skills, according to girlswhocode.com.  Their mission of growing the number of women in the technological field is what initially drew Edilia towards computer science.

“Girls Who Code inspired me to major in computer science; it is a program for young females who are interested in technology.  Their mission is to close the gap in women in STEM careers,” Edilia said.  “In 1995, 37 percent of computer scientists were women whereas today, it’s only 24 percent.  I want to be involved in closing that gap and increasing the number rating.  Also, not a lot of minorities major in computer science and my goal is to change that by showing them that this is possible to achieve.” 

Nicole, a Sacred Heart lifer, is attending Notre Dame University next fall to study computer science.  Nicole’s Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science class during her junior year sparked her desire to major in computer science, but she has always been interested in math and problem-solving. 

Throughout her time in the Upper School, Nicole has found that computer science allows her to use systematic thinking and collaboration to produce useful software programs that provide solutions to different problems.  Nicole’s experience in the STEAM field has also given her skills that apply beyond math and computer science classes.  In the long term, Nicole wishes to use computer science to make people’s lives easier.

“I am hoping to use this degree to enter the software field to create programs and apps that can help businesses run more efficiently and provide consumers with tools that help in their daily lives,” Nicole said.  “I want to produce the code that makes these businesses function behind the scenes.”

Emma is heading to Williams College next fall to foster her passion for problem-solving and innovative thinking.  Emma plans to study computer science, while also exploring economics and music.  She was originally drawn to computer science because of the variety of professions to which it applies.  After college, Emma hopes to utilize her degree in a diverse range of fields, including music production and literature. 

Emma believes that Sacred Heart’s extensive STEAM programs have contributed to her love of learning and prepared her well for her scholarly endeavors in college and beyond. 

“Sacred Heart has given me the opportunity to take advanced-level courses in computer science since my sophomore year.  My early introduction to robotics in middle school combined with advanced placement in high school has provided me with knowledge and experience in the technological field,” Emma said.  “Even more, many of my classes in my senior year allowed me to cross-discipline with my computer science course.  For instance, I was able to write code for English books, where I could search through the texts for words or quotes easily.  Also, I compared logic graphs and sequencing algorithms to both my biology and math classes.” 

Featured Image by Claire Moore ’22