My GCSP Journey

When I first joined GCSP, I thought it would simply strengthen my resume and sit alongside my computer science courses. I did not expect it to challenge how I think. Over time, it quietly changed my mindset. It pushed me to slow down and ask harder questions about the systems I build and the responsibility that comes with them. One of the first moments I felt that shift was when I participated in HackHarvard as part of a team of GCSP students, with support from the program. Working under time pressure alongside other scholars forced me to think beyond individual performance and focus on collaboration and real impact.

My capstone project taught me what it means to build software that real teams rely on. The EPICS Offline Digital Library showed me that reliability and access matter more than complexity. Courses like FSE 150 and SOC 334 forced me to think about stakeholders, power structures, and long term consequences before jumping into solutions. STS 332 and COM 263 reminded me that culture, identity, and lived experience shape how technology is received and used.

None of these experiences felt isolated. They connected in ways I did not expect. Research strengthened my technical depth. Service learning grounded me in real needs. Interdisciplinary and multicultural courses challenged my assumptions. Entrepreneurship taught me to think about sustainability and product value.

Through GCSP, I learned that engineering is not just about writing correct code. It is about building systems that people trust, systems that do not fail silently, and systems that consider who may be left out. That shift in thinking is something I will carry into my career. It changed not only how I design systems, but why I design them in the first place.