Sarah Hong was probably mostly a blur while attending the University of Utah’s School of Computing.
If the hard-working computer science student, who received her bachelor’s at the end of May, wasn’t organizing resume-writing workshops or seminars for interns, she was planning brown bag lunches for faculty members or even organizing a “Starcraft II” video game tournament.
Hong was a student who was constantly on the go. That’s why one of her computer science professors, Erin Parker, nominated Hong for a Women in Tech Award for 2014, which honors businesswomen and students in the local technology sector. The awards, which are handed out annually by the Utah-based Women Tech Council, will be announced Sept. 17 during a luncheon at the Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.
Hong, 23, is one of five local university students who are being honored. The council also is awarding 17 local women from tech-related businesses including Alliant Techsystems Inc., Backcountry.com and eBay.
“I always think of her as one of our top students — not only when it comes to her performance in classes, but she stands out beyond that,” Parker said of Hong. “She’s a good leader of other students. She’s extremely motivated about computer science and is really compassionate.”
In addition to her full school load, Hong also was president of the Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee for the School of Computing as well as for the university’s chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery, the professional organization for computer scientists. She also worked two internships with Microsoft and now works fulltime for the Redmond-based company as a software engineer.
“I wanted to get involved because I felt it would be the best way to meet other people in the department and also to help make a more cohesive CS community at the U,” Hong said about all her extracurricular activities. “It is important for students to learn about writing a technical resume, what the interview process is like, and what career opportunities are out there.”
Hong said her path through the university’s School of Computing has given her plenty of valuable experience to prepare for a career in computer programming.
“In short, CS at the U rocks! We have one of the best CS departments out there,” she said. “[An] important thing I learned is to never be afraid to ask questions, make mistakes, and dig for answers. Get to know the faculty, staff, and teaching assistants because they are all valuable resources, and I received a lot of support from them while I was a student.”