Meet Erin Donahue

I’m a senior computer science major with a minor in Math and hopefully a minor in Spanish as well.  I’m from West Lafayette, IN.  Many people ask me why I didn’t go to Purdue.  I chose to attend DePauw because I was very impressed with the Programs of Distinction, the small class sizes, and the academically challenging curriculum.

On campus I’m in the Information Technology Associates Program (ITAP), which is a Program of Distinction for students who are interested in technology.  As an ITAP Intern I get to work with faculty members on technology-related projects.  It’s great because I get real work experience that I can put on my resume.  Being an ITAP Intern is also a great way to build important skills such as project management.

I’m also involved in Women in Computer Science (WiCS) and the DePauw Chapter of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery, the main professional organization for the computer science field).  I’m an officer in each organization.  As an officer I help to plan events from helping Computer Science students study to working with kids to introduce them to technology.

Last summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica.  I had always wanted to study abroad, but I didn’t think I’d be able to find time for it in my class schedule.  The International Center worked with me so that I could have a study abroad experience without delaying any of my classes.  DePauw works with lots of study abroad programs, so I had a lot of options.  My summer experience was great!  I learned about the culture and my Spanish skills improved exponentially!

My experiences here at DePauw have helped me improve lots of skills that are needed in the real world.  I’ve had leadership experience, experience working under deadlines, and experience adapting to a completely new situation.  I know after I graduate, I’ll constantly be using the skills I’ve developed here at DePauw.