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Computer Science and Software Engineering

Rachel Fischmar '24

Rachel Fischmar '24
Computer Science and Software Engineering

Rachel Fischmar '24

  • Class: 2024
  • Major: Computer Science
  • Out-of-Classroom Experiences/Interests:
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Miami has done a great job not only teaching me the technical skills that I need to know, but also exposing me to all the different fields of computer science.
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Rachel Fischmar '24

How Did You Choose Your Major?

There's this statistic that for every class of 25 software engineers, there's only three women. And that's something that really drew me towards computer science. Even though I started in the major, what really made me want to stay is how women are really breaking into the industry and proving that we can do the same thing as men. We're competent, and we can succeed and thrive. It's something that I'm really passionate about, because some women have the ability to code, but they're just too scared because they know that there's not a ton of women in the industry right now. They don't want to be the odd one out. So I'm sending the message to them that it's okay to be a woman in computing and STEM. It's really important to me. I'm really happy that I stayed in computer science and that I'm going into this industry.


Key Moment at Miami

When I was doing Girls Who Code, we taught girls how to just build their own website for any type of website they wanted. Some girls really built their website around something they were super passionate about. And I think that's a great way to get women into coding. Because once they have that thing that they're passionate about, that's how they get into the field.


Most-Recommended Miami Course

One class that I really recommend that everyone take is Intro to AI. We learned theory about AI, and we had exams, but we also did really cool research projects on how AI is being implemented in the real world. I learned so much not even just through my own project, but also listening to everyone presenting their own projects. My eyes just opened to how versatile this field is.


Post-Graduation Plans?  

I'm mainly looking for software engineering roles. I have worked in the banking industry for internships, and then also the construction industry as well. Big tech is a dream. But I also did love my time in banking.