Where are you from?
I’m from China, but the place I call home now is Umpqua, Oregon; just a bit out from the town of Sutherlin.
What drew you to psychology and computer science as your fields of interest?
I’ve always been interested in both fields! Psychology in general has always been fascinating to me. Even back in elementary school, I loved reading about psychological studies and learning new things about humans and how we behave and so psychology was the major I first declared here. Computer science was a bit more of a recent decision to me. I haven’t actually done much with computer science before, other than some basic coding lessons back in middle school. I have always loved math and problem solving, though, as well as appreciated the creative side of coding. After considering it for a while, I eventually decided to take the plunge and talked with my advisor about potentially majoring in both and here I am! There’s a surprising amount of overlap between the two actually in areas like human-computer interaction and user experience research which are what I am focusing on!
What has been your experience as a student of both the College of Liberal Arts and the Honors College?
My experience in both has been super great. Both colleges are incredibly supportive and always are encouraging students to explore and learn more. There’s a lot of professors associated with both as well which helps in processes like thesis exploration.
Have you started your honors thesis? If yes, what’s the topic and/or focus of your research? If not, are you considering any ideas so far?
I have! I decided to branch out for my honors thesis and I’m going the creative route and doing a creative art thesis project! I’m still ironing out the fine details with my thesis mentor but the topic I think I’ve been narrowing down on is exploring memories through art and how we choose to represent them – whether that be what may be warped, what we remember, what we’d like to change, etc.
What have been some of your favorite classes taken?
I’ve loved so many of the classes that I have taken. A lot of my psychology classes are just really interesting to me (social, personality, and cognitive psychology especially) and all of my honors colloquia classes have just been super fun and unique as well! The few art classes I’ve taken I’ve greatly enjoyed too.
What are you hoping to do after you graduate?
After I graduate, I hope I can find a career that’s a nice intersection of both my majors – something with a dash of art too. Currently I have been considering possible careers related to HCI/UX or graphic design. Anything with art would be a major plus and if not, it’ll just be something I enjoy on the side!
How do you feel that your experience in CLA and HC is setting you up for success?
Both the CLA and HC have been a constant source of support. There’s always so many resources offered and people to turn to should I ever need help. Everyone is always pushing me outside of my comfort zone and encouraging me to get involved and I really appreciate just how much I’ve been able to grow and expand my skill set through participation in these two colleges. Just through required classwork and the thesis project alone I feel like I’ve been able to gain so much experience researching and building up a portfolio which is super helpful for the future.