Yao Yao
B.S., magna cum laude, Computer Science, 2022
Software Engineer, Intuit
“Being an Alfie means having the opportunity to work with many other wonderful people who are also passionate about making the world a better place.”
Service & Work:
Chairperson, Women in Tech at ACM 2021
Weekly & Biweekly Speaker at ACM on data structures/algorithms, Winter & Spring Quarters, 2021
President, Computer Science and Engineering Club, Seattle Central College, 2018-2019
Volunteer, U District Foodbank and St. Mary’s Foodbank, 2017
Awards & Honors:
Alfie Scholars Cohort 5, 2020–2022
SU Merit Based Scholarship, 2020
Bannan Scholarship
Computer Science Department GHC Scholarship, 2020
Tau Sigma Honor Society
Seattle Central Foundation Scholarship, 2017
Member, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society 2017–2020
Dean's List, Seattle Central College, 2016–2020
President's List, Seattle Central College, 2016–2020
Presentations & Publications
Did They Consent? A Call to Practice Empathy on Animal Testing, Yao Yao, Seattle University, August 2021
How Social Media Promote Eating Disorders, Yao Yao, Seattle University, August 2020
Yao’s Story
I am a first-generation international student from China. I was born and raised in a developed city. My parents moved to this city from their poor hometown in their 20s and divorced when I was 3 years old. After their divorce, I started to live with my mother. My father had a more financially substantial life than my mother and me. Because of our financial difficulty, I grew mature quickly. I started to taste the sorrow of life from all the rent we could not afford, all the robberies that happened to my mother, and so on. In the meanwhile, I started to ponder, what can I do to prevent this situation for everyone else like us?
Since my parents were not local to the city, I was never considered a local by the locals though I was born and raised there. I was always excluded by the local student groups throughout elementary and middle school. Students also started to understand beauty and form judgments at this stage. I was usually a few pounds heavier than the average girls, so I received teasing on my appearance regularly. Soon I decided that my appearance was the most important thing. I started different diets, beginning in elementary school. By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I picked up some extreme diet and binge-eating disorder. I knew I needed fresh air, so I decided to take the exchange program offered at my high school to study in the US which was fully supported by my mother who was financially successful at this point.
Studying in the US opened a new way of learning to me. I was amazed by the interactions in class in the US, as I was told to not ask questions throughout my elementary and middle school. I decided to stay and obtain my college degree here. At this time, my mother decided to pursue a career in mental health to help more people, so she quit her high-paying job and started a new business. Our financial situation went down again, but both of us have been happy with her decision. Studying in the US without family along with financial challenges made me depressed. I started to pick up binge eating disorder again, and bulimia disorder for the first time, because somehow, I concluded that my depression came from my imperfection which was mostly dependent on my appearance. Months of unhealthy eating destroyed my life. I could not think about anything but food. Fortunately, I started to reexamine what was most important to me and why appearance was a big deal. After a summer of struggling and contemplating, I placed myself before other people’s judgments and stepped out of that constant binging and purging cycle.
To this day, I care deeply about the people who are suffering from disadvantages (lack of education, food, or housing resources, and so on) and people who are highly dissatisfied with their appearances and try to cater to society by changing how they look. I hope to help create a world where less people suffer from these circumstances.
I believe one can create the most value for the world when they are at good states of themselves, so my advice is to know that everything will pass, and it is ok. Everything will pass, no matter they are good or bad. Many things happen without our control. Stay present. Constantly worrying about the past or the future will not bring happiness or productivity. Enjoying the happiness and sadness at the present moment in life can bring the most joy out of life and help you achieve your goals. It is also important to note that it is ok. It is ok to be sad, to be angry, to have any negative (or positive) emotions that you might experience. Allow your body to express these emotions in a non-harmful way to others. This might help move pass the emotions and help direct one’s attention back to their journey. I hope this very advice can help you restore a balance in your world and bring you joy and success in life.
Goals:
My goal is to spread positive and caring energy. Living in a society that is filled with negative energy can limit one's ability to thrive. I hope to spread positive energy in my community, to inspire other people in the community to do the same. My professional goal is to obtain a PhD degree and work in cybersecurity or computer science in the medical field to protect others from being harmed online or help others fight disease. In addition, I hope to address diversity, particularly the lack of women, in the tech industry.
On Civility:
Civility is a tool that helps to build a friendlier world that allows more people to thrive. Civility means to be aware of and respect the differences from other groups of people, to treat others how you would like to be treated, and to fight for justice whenever you see injustice. It asks us to be open-minded when learning about each other, compassionate when helping each other, and brave when fighting for each other.
