Nikka Ella Yalung

Nikka Ella Yalung

Computer Science | UC Davis
    overlay-img

    "I owe a lot of my professional growth to the STEM program. I am so much more confident now than I was when I joined because they supported me through and through."

    Nikka's Journey

    How have you grown since the program?

    Where do I even start? Some of my best friends now are people I met through the STEM program. Like I mentioned before, I spent a lot of time in the STEM room, and just being there and hearing about new programs, classes, and professors provided me with more resources than I could google.

    One of the things I am so so grateful for is the support I received from my peers and counselors. Every time I found something slightly interesting, they would push me to apply and even help me through every step. They reviewed my essays, provided me with a room for interviews, wrote me letters of recs, and more.

    Through my experiences in STEM, I was able to work in a research lab at UCLA, present that research, and even experience the dorm life for a summer, all while still at SMC. And after that, I was hungry for more. I used that experience to apply for scholarships when I transferred to UC Davis. I was able to study abroad in Sweden for a semester without having to worry financially. Immediately after, I lived in DC for the summer to intern with the National Democratic Institute.

    I owe a lot of my professional growth to the STEM program. I am so much more confident now than I was when I joined because they supported me through and through. I got more involved in school clubs, even becoming an ambassador for the UC Davis Washington Program and the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship Program

    Any STEM shortcuts/hacks you can share? 

    Join communities in your industry and read their newsletters!

    Read through the STEM emails! They have so much information on internships, summer programs, and scholarships. If a recruiter ever reaches out to alumni about programs, co-ops, or rotational programs, we send them all to Vanan. Those then get included in the STEM newsletters.

    When you transfer, read through the transfer and scholarship emails! This is how I found a scholarship application and received an all-expenses paid trip to a conference in New York because a foundation wanted more students to know about tech opportunities in non-traditionally tech companies. I join tech communities like Women Who Code, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, AfroTech, etc. – all of which have newsletters that list scholarships, job openings, conferences, and more.

    Be open to all the opportunities that come to you. We’re there to get experience and there’s always something new to learn!