Student Profiles
Grace Preyapongpisan
2006 Alumna
“Informatics? What’s that?” I love this question because it proves that we are forging new roads and bringing new insights into the information technology field. While working as a computer programmer I was intent on transferring to the UW and applying to the Computer Science program. However, while I enjoyed working with technology, I wasn’t necessarily interested in writing software. Informatics combined not only my academic interests in terms of science and technology, but also my social concerns such as technology information accessibility, usability, and information ethics. Currently I am a research assistant at the Information School’s Value Sensitive Design Lab, where I actively utilize the rich and diverse skill set and theoretical background I earned as an Informatics major.
Zoila Sedano
2007 Alumna
Since I was in elementary school, I have always loved learning how to use technology. Since technology is always changing and evolving faster, I knew that I wanted to go to a university to learn more about the field. I came to the University of Washington because it offers good and challenging technology-related degrees and Seattle offers many career opportunities. I chose Informatics because I am interested in how it focuses on the human and technical sides to better understand current theories, methodologies, and approaches in information technology. This intrigues me and I believe I made the right choice because I have seen through my summer internship experience at Safeco Insurance that information, technology, and the user are the three key components in the business world.
Eric Howard
2007 Alumnus
I decided a long time ago that I wanted a technology degree. I always figured I would become a computer science major, but felt like the focus was too code-oriented and was afraid it would land me in a cubicle debugging source code at the entry-level of my career. I didn’t know it until I heard the term, but I wanted something more “human-oriented.” Informatics fit the nebulous vision I once had of what I wanted out of my degree and provided the direction I was looking for. With an Informatics degree, I know I can avoid the code-monkey work and find other opportunities in technology yet still be capable of that kind of work if I change my mind.
Bennett Hornbostel
2007 Alumnus
As an Informatics student, I have benefited from the Informatics program’s content, provided through the three different strands of classes. The technical strand has been very practical while still providing a high-level understanding of the material and has given me a lot of experience, which is helpful outside of class in my job. The human-centered classes provide the perspective unique to Informatics which has really put me over the top in the eyes of my managers. And I’m excited about my Capstone project, the final course within the integrated strand. I would like to use my Informatics degree to segue into a more advanced degree in public policy relating to technology or a university-level teaching/research position.
Yared Ayele
2007 Alumnus
I take pride in the fact that I am developing social awareness on a global scale while becoming technically competent. As a graduate of the Informatics program, I have acquired a range of technical skills, which afforded me internships with Microsoft, Intel and the U.S. Department of Defense. My passion in the social aspect of Informatics has taken me to South Africa to establish a computer literacy program and to West Africa doing research on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for sustainable development and global ICT policy. The Informatics program at UW is what you make of it; the possibilities of what you could pursue and what you could do with it are endless.