In March 2020, I was a junior at Juilliard trying to figure out how to build an iOS app. I wanted to make it easier for conservatory students to find piano accompanists. I completely underestimated what it would take.

I started teaching myself to code and took intro CS classes at Columbia through the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard program. Nine months in, I applied to Columbia’s M.S. Bridge program.

After finishing my bachelor’s in piano performance at Juilliard, I went from taking Java and data structures to studying systems programming, computer graphics, and more. I finished my master’s in computer science at Columbia in December 2024.

I’m a software engineer at 1Password now. When I’m not working, you’ll find me learning Rachmaninoff preludes or Grieg Lyric Pieces, running a 5K, or drinking coffee from Brandywine Coffee Roasters.