What influenced your decision to choose Software Engineering? Tell us a little bit about your path getting here.
When I decided to come to Iowa State University, I was undeclared engineering up until my orientation. I was talking to Patrick Determan, a former SE advisor, and he was able to answer all my questions about the major. I had never coded before and was nervous about trying something totally new, but he encouraged me to declare SE and try it out. That day during orientation, I declared my major as SE and have loved my experience.
Where is your “hometown”? Fun fact about home?
I am from Chicago (yes, actually). Fun fact it is nicknamed the “Windy City” but is really not the windiest city.
“Try new things and take opportunities to learn outside of the classroom like competing in Hackathons.” – Erica Hollander (SE ’23)
What are you involved in at the university (or off)?
Over my four years, I was involved in Gamma Phi Beta, Digital Women, The Engineering Ambassador and Mentorship (TEAM) Program, and Tau Beta Pi.
I see you were a part of an honors program here at Iowa State. Can you tell us more about that?
I was a part of the First Year Honors Program (FHP). I really enjoyed my experience in my honors seminar. It was a great way to meet new people right when I started college. We got to visit some cool parts of campus like the horse barn, and it helped me get comfortable with campus quickly. I liked the FHP so much, my sophomore year I was a co-Leader for the program. I got to design a curriculum with my co-leader. It was a great way to learn some leadership skills.
What was your favorite part of student life? And why?
My favorite part of student life is getting to know so many different people. I have been able to meet some amazing people through the different organizations I have participated in. I also enjoy being involved in student organizations. It was a great way to make Iowa State feel like home.
Who has had the biggest impact on you and why?
Lakin and Hannah have made the biggest impact on me. They are two of my best friends, and I have loved having classes with them. They are always there to celebrate the highs and support me during the lows. Our weekly coffee dates before class are always the highlight of my week, and something that gets me excited about going to campus.
Tell us a little about your last internship. What role did you play? What did you like most about your role?
I got my first internship at the end of sophomore year at John Deere – Intelligent Solutions Group. I’ve worked there ever since as a part-time student. I was on a team called Developer Enablement and our products went to creating software tools to simplify and automate processes for developers within John Deere. I really enjoyed learning about DevOps and helping my team brainstorm different solutions.
What are your plans after graduation?
After I graduate, I will continue working at John Deere, and I’m hoping to move back to Chicago.
If you could give an incoming SE Program student advice, what would it be?
I’d recommend getting a strong understanding of the coding basics, learning quickly how to troubleshoot, and don’t be afraid to fail. When you start to learn new languages in different classes or during your internship, strong coding skills will be helpful to pick up the new languages quickly. Learning how to troubleshoot is also super important. A lot of industry work involves being able to read and comprehend documentation, so the more experience you have the better. Lastly, failing is one of the best ways to learn. Don’t be afraid to break code (hopefully with a working backup accessible via Git or another version control tool). Try new things and take opportunities to learn outside of the classroom like competing in Hackathons.
Speaking of Hackathons, it looks like you were a part of Digital Women’s Code Camp this past weekend. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Code Camp is a beginner focused Hackathon that Digital Women (an ISU student organization) hosts every Spring. It was a great opportunity for participants to learn something new in 24 hours. During the hackathon, we host workshops on Git, informational sessions about the Grace Hopper Conference, and host some of our company sponsors for Tech Talks. Some examples of projects include Android apps, websites, and an awesome project with using a raspberry pi. This year we had two judges from Zirous help us award the winners. This is the second year since Covid-19 shut things down that Code Camp has been held in person.
Editors Note: This year’s Code Camp Co-Directors, Erica Hollander and Lydia McCleary (pictured below) are both Software Engineering undergraduates.
What’s one random fun fact about yourself you’d be willing to share?
My fun fact is I have traveled to 48/50 states. Working on planning trips to Hawaii and Alaska soon!