Students like Xiomara Quinonez ’24, whose seriously stacked resume most recently includes the Hackworth Fellowship for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Majoring in computer science and engineering and minoring in entrepreneurship, Quinonez is especially excited to research as part of her fellowship the ethical implications of biometric facial recognition, particularly its impact on minorities.
“We have to make sure there’s diversity among coders, among those working in AI, in order to make technology more accessible and applicable to everyone,” says Quinonez, who founded the Girls Who Code club at her Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School—a major recipient of Santa Clara scholarships.
LEAD, according to Quinonez, not only makes it possible for first-gen students to feel comfortable at college and among their peers, it’s one of the most important players in the effort to make Santa Clara a more diverse, equitable place. “It injects different experiences and backgrounds onto campus… Without different perspectives, it limits what we can do.”