Q&A with #InvestingInYou Scholarship Recipients (Part 2)

In 2018, PDXWIT launched the #InvestingInYou scholarship program to help members with funding to attend conferences and workshops that build skills for their careers. Since its launch, PDXWIT has been able to send 21 people to conferences around the country.

Our first scholarship story featured Sarah Flynn. This second edition features Sharlena Luyen, founder of a nonprofit dedicated to helping local communities develop through technology, who received the #InvestingInYou scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Orlando, FL.

Amy King: Could you give me some background on your career in tech, how you got interested in it , and what are some of your goals? 

Sharlena Luyen: I am a current senior studying computer science at Oregon State University. I’m also getting minors in mathematics, education, and leadership. I am very interested in researching computer education-- that’s where the education leadership minor comes in. I lead an experiential research team that teaches computer science at elementary and high schools- we’re currently a team of five and we’re working on expanding the program. I have a lot of passion for helping women succeed in STEM as well- I belong to several groups and have worked in that area in the past. I got started in computer science in high school- I attended Troy High School in Fullerton, California, which is a magnet school. I took various technical courses and I was introduced to computer science and programming fundamentals. I was so in awe of what computer science and technology was able to achieve in the world on such a large scale with such little human effort. I saw the effects and results of technology in my community, and I worked with various non profit organizations and built technical projects for them. From there, I just knew that I needed to be in this field because I wanted to make a difference with technology. It was easy for me to do so because I understood technology well, understood peoples’ needs, and wanted to use technology to meet those needs. 

From there, I founded a nonprofit called Codemmunity with a team of all-female peers from my high school. We worked on a variety of projects that stemmed from community needs, including CotCam which we developed in response to a local child kidnapping. We were sponsored by Nest for the camera as well as Smart Things by Samsung for the sensors. We were able to use their tools to develop an anti-kidnapping or anti-theft system for homes that could be customized for each family’s household. Obviously this didn’t solve the problem of the kidnapping itself, but our project did help the neighborhood and community feel more secure which brought everyone together. That was our first project- we knew nothing about these tools, but together we learned what APIs were and how to use and write them. The fulfillment we got out of using technology to help so many people in such a brief amount of time was amazing. From there, we continued to develop more projects and build partnerships with First Robotics, ACM-W and other local organizations. The time came for me to head off to college, and while I still have some involvement, I’ve largely handed off these projects to younger peers in Codemmunity to develop locally.

Amy King: There are so many interesting things that you’ve mentioned that I’d love to learn more about. Let’s go back to your high school experience- you mentioned you went to a magnet school and took foundational CS courses that ignited your interest in programming. Can you talk more about that?

Sharlena Luyen: In my fundamentals of programming class in high school, we learned Object-Oriented Programming with Java. The exercises we did in class to apply the skills we learned were not very relevant to the real world, which bothered me. I brought my concerns to my teacher and he challenged me to take initiative and do something with my new knowledge outside of class. I was able to propose and design my own projects and also take part in technology events like hackathons outside of school. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by collegiate-level students and industry professionals at the hackathons and to get exposed to how technology is created in the real world. My teacher also broadened my perspective on the wide variety of careers in technology. I was in high school from 2011-2015 and I think since then, awareness of computer science, programming, and technology careers has grown so much. At the time, my teacher was my first link into that world for me and my classmates and I thought that was really great.

Amy King: So just to give you a quick sense of my background, I’m currently work with engineers every day as a software product manager. I have basic programming experience from undergrad, but I didn’t enjoy math enough to get deep into coding. I totally agree with you that it is important for young people to be exposed to the wide variety of tech careers. Back in college I didn’t even know that there was a job title called Product Manager’!

Sharlena Luyen: First, I just want to mention that it’s a common misconception that programming and computer science is heavily mathematical. On the theory side it can be, but programming itself is doable for anybody. I work very hard to debunk the idea that programming is a niche only for certain people. As a minority female in tech, I cannot emphasize enough that programming is an amazing opportunity that anybody can seize. 

Amy King: Yes- as I’ve worked and learned more about the tech field, now I know there are a lot of different ways to use computer science and programming. Software is all around us- you can use it to build so many experiences that are not necessarily tied to algorithms or mathematics. If I knew in college what I know now, I would be taking more classes in Human-Computer Interaction or frontend development- I wouldn’t have spent time being frustrated by bubble sort algorithms. I appreciate that you’re out there getting the message out early so that young people don’t turn away from programming prematurely. 

Sharlena Luyen: With my research group, we host a workshop that involves no programming and no specific technical knowledge- all we do is talk about the different fields to which programming and computer science can be applied. Students focused on creative fields, like art,  often think ‘I can’t do STEM’- but that is completely false. Careers like UX researchers and graphic designers require both creative and technical skills, and students with creative interests can really excel in those fields. 

Amy King: Can you talk more about Codemmunity and the kidnapping prevention project that you worked on? How did this project get started and how did you manage that team?

Sharlena Luyen: It started with a group of us wanting to follow our passion and help our community by putting our technical skills to use in a practical way. We began working together during my sophomore year, and eventually decided to form an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization during my senior year. It’s very important to me that it stays a locally-focused group. There are a lot of national-scale nonprofit groups that have similar goals, but in my opinion, they often fall short on engaging with local communities. With Codemmunity, I really wanted to foster meaningful relationships with my immediate community. I also took part in another organization called Elixir Labs with a much different focus- we built technologies for third world country nonprofit organizations. That experience was rewarding, but ultimately I felt disconnected, [as the entire team is remote]. This feeling really helped me refine what I wanted Codemmunity to stand for as an organization. 

Amy King: I want to get a sense of the logistical side of how you tackled starting Codemmunity- what steps did you take to start a nonprofit?

Sharlena Luyen: The first step was a lot of research- it was very confusing how to file for the 501(c)(3) but basically you download a form, you talk to a bunch of people at City Hall, and you fill out a lot more forms with supplementary materials like tax documents, organizational membership, and a mission statement. As high school students, we were exposed to a lot of these things for the first time, but it was a valuable experience to understand how the real world worked. We had to adjust to the formal structure by assigning official roles to ourselves like President and Treasurer, though these roles hadn’t seemed necessary as an ad-hoc group.

Amy King: There is a financial aspect to nonprofits- people can contribute donations. How did you address financial planning in your organizational development?

Sharlena Luyen: At first, we assumed that we would not be getting many donations and wouldn’t have to worry much about that. On our first filing, we said that 100% of donations would go directly to our projects. Once we filed for 503(c)(3) status, supporters got tax benefits by donating to us. We got a number of sponsorships from companies like Nest Cam, Nest, and Smart Things. As organization members, we never made any money off of Codemmunity directly because I felt strongly that all our resources should go into the projects themselves [and keeping the organization as a purely volunteer, learning opportunity]..

Amy King: As people started donating, did you have to set up a bank account and monitor the funds? Or were the donations more of materials and time?

Sharlena Luyen: We only asked for materials and other non-monetary contributions. For example, our school sponsored us by donating a classroom for weekend workshops, which would normally incur a fee. I think that further emphasizes the personal connections we were able to make in our community. 

Amy King: Did you set up a website for Codemmunity to provide information?

Sharlena Luyen: At one point we had a Facebook page but it seemed to not serve much purpose. We were so focused on helping the local community that most of our outreach was done by word-of-mouth. We created pamphlets to give out to people- the physical act of handing them out gave us a way to talk directly with community members about potential ways we could work together. 

Amy King: You said that you began working with classmates informally during your sophomore year, and decided to form a nonprofit your senior year. What was the trigger to take that step?

Sharlena Luyen: We wanted to be more recognizable and establish a bigger presence in the community. An official nonprofit filing gave us more credibility, especially as high school students. We felt like we needed a more established foundation to tackle the work that we thought was important.

Amy King: I think we’ve got a pretty good picture of your high school life- you stayed busy! How has your college life been?

Sharlena Luyen: My college life has been a little complicated- I studied computer science at several universities prior Oregon State, and when I started at OSU, I enrolled in a math minor as well. I loved math in high school and did a lot of math tutoring, and I wanted to continue that. I’ve become involved in several leadership organizations including Oregon State’s Ambassadors team, and the Engineering Student Council. I started a Grace Hopper scholarship on campus, and I now lead a research group called Engineers Engaged in Technical Education.  I have a lot of passion for bringing students and peers up as best I can. I was on the Leadership Academy’s Outreach Team, and over the course of two months, I more than doubled our application pool at Oregon State

Amy King: How do you have time for all of that?

Sharlena Luyen: Basically, I don’t sleep (by choice). I have so much passion for everything that I do, and I make time for the things that I really care about. I prioritize the commitments I’ve made to others as well as to myself- little things like laundry, cooking, and working out. I can’t imagine my life without all the meaning I get from my activities. Being a woman, I’m constantly trying to lift other women up. I like to appear 100% put together, but my close friends will tell you I’m disorganized, I’m often late, I’m messy- things you would never expect of me in a professional setting. I think it’s important to acknowledge, forgive yourself, and maintain that balance. One of the struggles I’ve had in college is figuring that balance out: how much can I share of my true self to my research team while still maintaining their respect? Vulnerability is so important for developing community, and I think I’ve continually refined my ability to draw that line.

Amy King: Do you think that being a woman in technology has given you a unique perspective?

Sharlena Luyen: Yes. One example is in my senior capstone class where I’ve been working on a year-long project. At the end of every term, we have a critique session with other teams where we evaluate their code, poster, and presentation. The critique is supposed to be constructive feedback about the project, not personal attacks. I was the only female in the room out of eight people (which is a problem in itself because of the lack of diverse ideas) and I found myself apologizing after every piece of feedback I gave. None of the other men in the room did that - they don’t need to. If I were to give critique without softening it, I might be seen as pushy or overbearing. If they do it, they’re seen as strong-minded and competent. It’s an uneven playing field.

Amy King: Were you aware of that during the meeting itself, or did you have to go back and think about what happened? 

Sharlena Luyen: It didn’t occur to me right away, but since the meeting was so long and I spoke many times, I started to realize that every single time I gave feedback, I was apologizing, and no one else was. I gained that self-awareness over the course of the meeting.

Amy King: Do you feel like you have less of a tendency to do that now that you are aware of it?  

Sharlena Luyen: Yes. I try much harder to be confident and not submissive. I’ve also realized that I don’t have to be responsible for others’ perception of me. I was apologizing because I didn’t want the other participants to think that I was being pushy, but that’s not on me- that’s on them. If I truly believe that the words that I’m saying are constructive feedback, then that is how they should interpret them as well. I shouldn’t worry about what they think of me. 

Amy King: Have you had any kind of conversation with your classmates or peers about this, or has this been more of a journey of self-reflection?

Sharlena Luyen: I recognized it in myself more, because I spend a lot of time with myself. But, since my senior capstone group project is a year long, I knew that I needed to set boundaries for myself and my team. They’re really great people, but there was one point where one male teammate was being very micro-managing just to me. He was specifically hounding me about doing my tasks, but wasn’t treating other members of the group the same way. I brought this up with him and told him that I wanted to address it together. He was receptive to this and we were able to discuss the problem with open minds and mutual respect for each other. The resolution was for him to stop ‘helicoptering’ and micro-managing, and he even went to far as to ask me to call him out on it if he ever did it again. It’s not always like that though. 

Amy King: Could you talk about how you expect that attending Grace Hopper will affect your personal and professional development?

Sharlena Luyen: There is a lack of community for female engineers- not just computer science, but all engineers. There is also a lack of connection between women in industry and those trying to get into the various technical fields. All of these barriers are eliminated at Grace Hopper. You’re surrounded by like-minded engineers, people who respect you, and people in industry that are sharing their perspective. The recruiting opportunities at Grace Hopper are amazing. Recruiters want to talk to you because of who you are as a person. At other job fairs, tech-based qualifications are the prime focus and biases can creep in. The companies and non-profit organizations that attend Grace Hopper are there searching for women and minorities in CS. There’s also a research showcase that I’m very interested in because I also do research- connecting with those students from all around the world is really valuable to me. The talks and workshops are also great- I could talk about it for days. I had the opportunity to attend last year with several students from Oregon State, and I’m looking forward to attending again with PDXWIT’s support.