Meet the Digital Scholars Student Coordinators

Meet the Digital Scholars student coordinators! They are essential to the program and wear multiple hats to ensure its success. They assiduously prepare participants for the daily speakers, ensure the scholars get their questions answered during class, and serve as role models for the younger students gearing up to attend university:  

Alayna Avila : Sophomore, Northwestern University, majoring in data science and economics

Anthony Valenzo : Sophomore, UIC, majoring in computer science

Ian Aguilar : Sophomore, UIC, majoring in mechanical engineering

Rebekah Cheung : Junior, UIC, majoring in mathematics and communication

What is your dream career?

Alayna: To be the owner of my own entertainment company, including cartoons, video games, and animated movies.

Anthony: To become a senior software engineer for a FAANG company in a big city like Chicago.

Ian: To own my own business and create inventions that help society.

Rebekah: To become a journalist and to use data analysis in my work.

What do you like to do for fun?

Alayna: I love playing soccer and volleyball when I am out, but when I stay in I tend to study, draw, read, and play video games.

Anthony: I like to play the piano and create beats on LMMS (even though I'm not very good at it). I also like to code games from scratch using HTML, CSS and JS.

Ian: I’m a video game addict; I love movies and tinkering with stuff as well.

Rebekah: For fun, I enjoy playing video games, learning new languages, and learning new recipes.  Currently, I play Stardew Valley, Brawl Stars, and Squad Busters.

What is a moment that stood out to you during this summer's program?

Rebekah: A moment that stood out to me during this summer's program was the friendships being made during class.  In the beginning, everyone was shy but after some time, the students began talking to each other and helping one another with the course content.  I think this moment highlights that Digital Scholars is not only about learning computing but forming bonds with peers and that networking can foster great friendships.

Ian: The improvement of the students, education- and engagement-wise. Seeing the students more engaged really makes me want to keep doing my job.

Anthony: A student from my ECE class asked about how to use inputs for a simple LED project. That conversation led to her using the photoresistor in her kit to control a multicolor LED on their first day of using Arduino! 🤯

Alayna: I don't think I have any moment in particular; however, I love when the students engage with each other during class. That sense of comradery is quite endearing given so many kids are hooked to their devices nowadays.

How is your experience different this time vs the first time you completed Digital Scholars?

Rebekah: My experience is different this time compared to the first time I completed Digital Scholars because the program has grown significantly and has a lot of interactivity since it is in-person.  I also like how this year's Digital Scholars, especially in my Foundations in Computer Science and Coding class, is more focused on self-paced learning and forming relationships with each other rather than a traditional classroom setting.

Ian: Back then, I was super timid. I didn’t really participate as much and I would slack off. But now I am more confident and I’m taking control of my life which helps me be a better leader and engineer.

Anthony: Observing our ECE students build their robot cars now with various sensors and custom chassis was a really fun experience. I can't wait to see the jump in complexity in the finished motor cars from this year compared to last year.

Alayna: When I was a digital scholar, I felt the program wasn't as developed yet I appreciated it for what it was. We were the first in-person class for the program and I still keep in touch with friends I have made within the program. Now I feel things are more put-together, and the students have way more coding knowledge and skills than the students I was learning with. The program has also grown loads since I was a scholar, which is exciting to hear how many more students are getting exposed to tech and building their networks.