Staff Spotlight: Pranati Guduru
This month's Staff Spotlight feature is one of our undergraduate researchers and Junior in the Computer Science program, Pranati Guduru. Pranati first joined the team last fall as a Barrett Fellow Scholar working with our Cozmo/Social Robotics program and has stayed on this year as a researcher on another CompuGirls programming initiative.
This summer Pranati helped teach students to program robots while integrating culture and identity into the lessons. Much like the rest of our team, Pranati is extremely passionate about advocating for underrepresented communities, especially women in STEM and has told us how excited she is for this fall's project. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in software engineering while continuing to advocate for equity in STEM and we couldn't be more proud to have her on our team.
Home town
Anthem, Arizona
Top Three Life Highlights
Starting College
Joining CGEST and being a part of an amazing community of dedicated and talented people.
Having had the opportunity to travel to many different countries.
What inspires you?
People who are passionate and empathetic and are dedicated to helping others.
Passions
Social justice and advocacy are one of my biggest passions and driving forces in anything I do. Especially giving young girls the same opportunities as their male counterparts to pursue careers in STEM.
Suggested Reading
Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
What is something that you learned recently?
I recently learned that only around 26% of computing jobs are held by women. It is statistics like that which make me want to work hard to help other girls and women feel comfortable and supported in these fields.
What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is that I get to work with so many intelligent people who are passionate about encouraging more women into STEM.
What has been one of your proudest moments at CGEST?
One of my proudest moments at CGEST is attending a CompuGirl summer session and being able to see the impact of our work in real-time by teaching young girls computing principles while encouraging and supporting their interests.
What has been the most impactful tech innovation you use in your everyday life?:
The most impactful tech innovation I use every day is my laptop! All of my school work is done on my laptop so If it were to get lost, I wouldn't know what to do!
I am committed to advancing equity for women of color in STEM because...
There has been very little change or action into how we treat women, especially women of color in STEM fields or who are interested in STEM fields. Girls’ interest in STEM should be supported and cultivated at a young age because everyone should have equal access and opportunities in the STEM field to bring different perspectives and tools to help make the world better.
Thank you Pranati for sharing a little insight into who you are and what makes you such an integral part of the CGEST team. Be sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to see what staff member we highlight next month!
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