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My Role Beyond the Screen

“Hello! My name is Lisa Spencer. I am a sophomore in computer science at UIUC.”  When I say this line, people immediately think I’m nerdy and introverted. People assume I want to code all day and be the best software engineer ever. While this may be true for some computer science majors, this does not apply to me. In reality, my interests extend far beyond algorithms and debugging. I enjoy connecting with others, discussing ideas, and improving the world at the intersection of technology and business. I chose computer science because I love logic and patterns. The challenge of getting a computer to do what I want was exciting to me. Over the summer, I worked as a Software Engineer Intern. I felt stagnant at first because the learning curve was so sharp that I was only absorbing information and not outputting much progress. Then I started contributing. Delivering code that I had worked on that would be put to real-world use was incredibly satisfying.  But I still felt like I wa...
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Aggravating Anticipation

          Excitement bubbles in my stomach as my brother and I race down the stairs. The classic Christmas story of seeing what Santa had brought the night before. We’d search the presents for our names, marveling at the different tags he used, covered in glitter and colors. Of course we had to guess what was in them as well, poking them to see what they might be. Then we’d race up the stairs to wake my parents up and beg them to come downstairs to open up presents.  Leading up to this moment, I was going crazy. As the days got closer, I just couldn’t wait. I almost hated the feeling. The anticipation of just wanting it to be there already. It’s painful and miserable. Instead of focusing on the present, all you can think of is the future. Of that which occupies your mind always. Knowing that it’s not here yet but wishing with all your might that it would be.  The same thing happens on my birthday. Or when I have something coming in the mail. O...
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Puzzle Connections

               A challenge. A strategy. Logic. Sorting. A puzzle. These things have always been there to connect my family. The struggle of mismatched pieces and the joy of bringing them together has always been a central pastime in my family.  My dad introduced my younger brother and I to wooden puzzles at a young age. I remember sitting down on my knees so my small arms could reach the pieces that were spread everywhere on our old round kitchen table. My excitement was bubbling. We had the whole day just for this. My dad got out the wood glue, and I remember feeling so cool because I got to use special glue. We had to hold the pieces in place while the glue dried or fell apart, making us glue it again. I had so much fun with my family and would ask for these wooden puzzles every birthday or Christmas. We made models of houses, castles, music box pianos, and more. I love these memories, so I still have the models displayed on my bookshe...
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Cast Me Please

  I will try almost anything at least once. This philosophy doesn’t always lead to the next big thing in your life, but I’ve only ever regretted not following it.  My first example is surfing. I feel myself shaken as the words “Time to wake up!” flutter through my ears. I squint at the blinds, not wanting to move. We have fifteen minutes to get ready before we leave to go surfing. I have no desire to go, only the urge to get back under the covers and fall asleep. I have never been surfing before, only seen it on TV. Thoughts slug through my brain until I think I may never get this chance again. I pull myself together and get dressed, mentally preparing for the waves to come. We get to the beach, and the instructor teaches my brother and I to surf. We were pretty bad, but it was fun and I’d definitely do it again. So although I wasn’t in the mood to wake up so early (similar to how one would rather stay at home and watch TV than go out), I’m glad I forced myself to try i...
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Pop

       I grew up a perfectionist. I needed everything to be just right before I let anyone see it. I wasn’t satisfied unless it was an A+. Yes. I was that kid. Disappointed by a 96. Don’t get ahead of yourself. That is not a testament to my intelligence. All that means is I lived in a bubble that was about to be popped.  As my 8th grade year trailed off in 2020, classes were barely taking place and most assignments were optional because we were still adjusting to the pandemic. I had a relaxed summer, watching TV. And more TV. When I happened to go outside around once a week, I was always shocked by nature and hadn’t even realized that I had been gone from it for so long. But then I went back inside and continued to…. you guessed it, watch TV.  As per usual, school started again in August. Yet the ongoing pandemic forced us to resume online classes. It started off swimmingly; homework was light, teachers were lenient, class was straightforward. Yet I had...
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Mail From Home

  Mail can come in many different forms, whether that’s a letter, an advertisement, a magazine, a postcard, or a package. Some mail is thrown out immediately. Other mail is kept forever. The mail I’ve been keeping forever was from my mom.  One summer when I was little, I spent two months in China with my younger brother and grandparents. My dad was off on a business trip and my mom had stayed back to work on her dissertation. We had been to China before and my grandparents had visited us for long stretches of time before, but we had never been without our parents for so long.  We were a little scared at first, but after the jetlag wore off, our excitement skyrocketed. Everyday was just fun. Our grandparents spoiled us. We would watch TV, go out to eat, go shopping, go for walks, and swim. This is when my grandpa taught me how to swim. I remember asking to go every day after dinner. My brother and I would beg his ears off. Most days he would agree, and we would all walk ...
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Family (pl)

  My family is large. I got to see that every Christmas as my cousins, great aunts and uncles, and people I didn’t even recognize all gathered into one small house. We drove hours down to their house and back up in the same night just to be there for those few hours on Christmas Eve. I don’t have a lot of memories of this, just glimpses of random moments and an associated feeling of pure joy. I remember always receiving a present, but I can’t remember a single thing I got because that wasn’t the important part. I just felt safe and loved.  Then one Christmas, it stopped. My great aunt died, and we all fell out of contact. My family no longer seemed large. The last time I saw many of them was at her funeral. She was the one who always brought us together. While listening to people at school talk about their holiday plans, I found myself longing to have those family gatherings again. Others had three Thanksgiving dinners to attend… I had one regular dinner. Others had been t...
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