Jia Gapuz describes the transition to SDSU and her goals in computer science
By Bryana Quintana
Jia Gapuz, third-year computer science major (Bryana Quintana/SDSU)
Born in the U.S., Jia Gapuz grew up in the Philippines and returned to the States three years ago. After two years at Southwestern College, she transferred to San Diego State University this fall through the STEM Pathways program, which provides academic support, career mentorship and research experiences for STEM students transitioning to a four-year university.
A junior majoring in computer science, Gapuz reflects on her first semester at SDSU and dreams of using CS to develop health solutions.
How has your first semester at SDSU been?
Gapuz: Honestly great. It was a big change. I was put into a really fast-paced environment and I tried my hardest to not show it, but I was truly scared because it felt like things were starting to get really real — these are new beginnings but it’s also close to the end of my college journey.
But I found it in myself to take it a bit slower because I feel like you need that balance, you need to take time for yourself. That’s something I learned through the semester and I’m honestly doing really good.
Third-year computer science major Jia Gapuz with her Big Data Hackathon team (Courtesy Jia Gapuz)
What are some highlights from the semester?
Gapuz: Big Data Hackathon was super cool. The theme was how to make managing health easier for the user and I got to lead a team in developing our own lifestyle managing app. We compiled data sets of over 6,000 parks, recreation centers and bike routes around San Diego. Our app also suggested healthy recipes and nearby events like farmers’ markets so users could search for things to do other than doom scrolling, based on their zip code. It was cool building something from the ground up because I had never done that before and it sharpened my skills as a leader and a planner.
I also volunteered at Innovation Day, a big event demonstrating new advancements in technology and life sciences. Walking around seeing all these cool ideas from people whose backgrounds aren’t far from mine and getting that affirmation that I could do something like that was really inspiring.
What are you looking forward to for spring semester?
Gapuz: I finally have upper level division computer science courses so I’m excited to see actual applications of the things I’ve been learning. I’m also part of CSU-LSAMP, which connects us to research opportunities. That’s something I would like to explore next semester, because I didn’t know there were many research opportunities for computer science.
Third year computer science major Jia Gapuz poses in front of the research poster she presented at the end of her summer internship at Temple University (Courtesy Jia Gapuz)
What do you hope to pursue after graduation?
Gapuz: I’d like to go into bioinformatics. STEM Pathways introduced a lot of internship opportunities to me, including one I did in the summer, conducting NSF REU-funded research in a bioinformatics lab at Temple University. Full disclosure, I thought I hated bio so I had to get over my fear of it in two weeks. It was a big learning curve but the Principal Investigator I worked with, Dr. Vincenzo Carnevale, prepared us for what we actually needed to do and along the way, I found a new love for bio.
The project was about using machine learning to synthesize proteins for drug discovery so seeing how computer science could be applied to biology was super cool to me. Nature is nature but programming, computers, and technology are things we can fully control and I think a lot of great things can come from that.
What do you ultimately hope to accomplish through your career in STEM?
Gapuz: I’d love to say I have a definite vision of what I’m going to do in CS. But the thing is, I don’t because it’s going to change, our world is going to change, and I have to be able to change with it. So I guess my overarching goal is to be able to change with those times, be current with all these technologies, with research. I want to be able to absorb as much information as I can because the world is honestly so cool and there’s so much to learn about it.
I feel like I’m really blessed that I have a talent in CS that I can apply to all forms of life. I saw that come to fruition when I did bioinformatics. But that doesn’t stop there. I could go into biochemistry, I could do mechanical engineering plus CS. I could apply my CS degree to so many forms of academics and research that I feel like all the doors are open for me right now.