Sarina wanted to learn how to code to model neural networks of the brain to parallel data analysis of the next general election. A non-CS major, Sarina realized there were few resources to learn about the world of computer science, a field that has become a large aspect of our daily lives. She felt that the resources available to her were male-dominated and riddled with underlying sexism. As Sarina’s intended field of Pharmacology was increasingly dependent on coding, she wanted a safe environment for her to learn. Sarina set out to help create a safe space for women and gender non-conforming people to learn to code. 

With little code experience, Sarina never thought she would be accepted to a hackathon and felt deterred by the male-dominated environment. This was the main motivator behind the creation of Womxn/Hacks for Sarina and co-founder, Lia Yeh. This hackathon was different from a traditional hackathon with its focus on inclusion of all genders and those without tech backgrounds. Many participants emailed her months later to talk about the internships they got from sponsors and how the event opened their eyes to different career paths. Organizing the event taught Sarina that change is possible; the Womxn/Hacks team has made CS resources more accessible and gender-neutral.

Through her very own hackathon, Sarina landed an internship with one of their sponsors,  Evidation Health, a health-tech company. Sarina was brought on as a project management intern where she worked with the data science team to understand how wearable tech ( Apple watch) can help patient outcomes. Sarina plans to apply to medical schools and is excited to mix health and tech in both future hackathons and her career.