{"id":396152,"date":"2019-09-12T09:48:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T13:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=396152"},"modified":"2019-09-12T12:16:08","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T16:16:08","slug":"computer-science-curb-poverty-396152","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/computer-science-curb-poverty-396152\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting computer science to work curbing poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many ambitious young adults, Fernanda Sesto \u201923 arrived at college with her LinkedIn page already well established. On it, she wrote, \u201cI understand the power of technology, so I\u2019m using it to pursue social equality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sesto, a native of Uruguay and a first-year computer science major at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a>, volunteered in a Latin American non-profit organization called TECHO<\/a>, helping residents of poor neighborhoods carry out infrastructure projects involving streets, parks, houses, and community centers.<\/p>\n

She also created Computer Scientists in Action, a non-profit organization focused on reducing the digital gap by teaching computer science to poor children.<\/p>\n

And she started a project in her hometown of El Pinar, a seaside resort, to teach leadership in primary schools.<\/p>\n

\n

\"students<\/p>\n

Meet the Class of 2023<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

They come from 44 states and 65 countries. Twenty percent are the first in their family to attend college. Welcome to Rochester, Class of 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sesto didn\u2019t grow up poor herself. Her mother is a secondary school teacher, her father works as a government administrator, and her older brother attends college in Uruguay.<\/p>\n

But after her parents divorced when Sesto was 11, her father moved to another city, into a poor neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the first time I saw people living in poverty, and it had a deep impact on me,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody should live like that, and not have the basic amenities. That\u2019s why I became involved in different activities helping vulnerable communities do development projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sesto heard about the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ from Daniel Caje \u201922, a molecular genetics major from Paraguay whom she met during a State Department-sponsored summer exchange program called Youth Ambassadors, in 2015. She researched the school online and was so impressed that she applied Early Decision last fall. She even created a video<\/a> that examines poverty in Latin America as part of her admissions essay. But until she moved in with other international students last month, she had never stepped foot on the campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it here,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not used to diversity, because Uruguay is a very small country. But here at Rochester, I can meet people from very different parts of the world. I\u2019m so excited about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sesto has joined Fort\u00e9 Campus<\/a>, a student organization aimed at creating a network of business- and leadership-driven women. Back home in El Pinar, she had her own trail to blaze.<\/p>\n

For three years, she was the only female student in her high school, which specialized in computer science.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very challenging at first, and something I had to get used to,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I learned a lot and consider myself to be very empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hopes to find time for other activities, such as dance, sports, and not surprisingly, community service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to explore all that college has to offer, and really make a difference,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up in Uruguay Fernanda Sesto \u201923 was the only female student in her computer science-focused high school. 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