Rebecca Turner (she/her)

Rebecca is a software engineer studying computer science and mathematics at Brandeis University. In her free time, she enjoys tweaking her website, doing calligraphy, wearing sunglasses, and bicycling. In her junior year of high school, Rebecca realized that she could channel her creativity towards computer science, a field with more jobs than her other favorite hobbies of graphic design and jewelry creation. She was able to use this creativity last summer when she noticed that her friend couldn’t afford the same technology Rebecca could. This made it difficult for them to make calls, use email, take photos, etc., so Rebecca pooled her money to get them an Android. Now, she and her friend can use the same tools to stay in contact.

“I have a friend much poorer than me. Last summer, I was upgrading my phone because it had been about four years since I last bought one. It struck me how immensely unfair it was that my friend didn’t have access to the same technology as I did.

It was difficult for them to make calls, use email, take photos, and sometimes even turn their phone on, so I pooled together some money and got us both new Androids (after asking if there was anything else, like tuition, they’d prefer the money went to). Now we can all share selfies and apply to jobs with the same tools!”

Source of inspiration: While she loves seeing beautiful systems, whether they’re embodied in the construction of a typeface or a computer program, nothing is better than an abrasive, poorly-designed system that inspires technologists to create something better.

Book Recommendation: Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer and House of Leavesby Mark Z. Danielewski