UCLA Samueli Announces 2021 Commencement Awards

What has been your most rewarding experience at UCLA, and why?
I collaborated with amazing queer and trans (QT) students at UCLA to organize QWER Hacks, Major League Hacking’s first LGBTQIA+ event and the first collegiate LGBTQIA+ hackathon in the U.S. We empowered and increased the visibility of the QT community in tech, and brought together QT individuals and allies through the creation of products that benefit marginalized groups in STEM. I was blown away by the creative and impactful applications engineered by the attendees. These included an app that leverages augmented reality to allow trans and non-binary people to experiment with gender expression, an online game through which parents can practice supporting their QT child via role-playing, a website that connects QT individuals to queer-friendly health services and so many other innovations in health care, education,…