Stacy Li is a Communications Major minoring in digital humanities. She will graduate June 2019. She is also the designer of the new DH logo.
What got you interested in DH in the first place?
I guess I’ve always been very interested in technology in general. Growing up in a household of engineers, I was already surrounded by it. What drew me to DH was the humanities aspect – being a communication major I’m interested in human behavior and azhuman interaction, and DH has a lot of opportunities to explore that.
That’s interesting! So when you arrived for DH101, what was going through your head?
I was nervous they were going to make me code (haha). I took one class through engineering and thought it was really hard. They do teach coding though, and I loved the way they presented it and framed it. In a humanities context, it was much more interesting and impactful in terms of my education.
What did you want to learn most?
After DH101, I wanted to work on my design skills. The DH curriculum had really applicable classes to product design. I took coding for humans, and really expanded my horizons.
What was the biggest challenge you have faced?
Every DH class has some form of group project involved, which is a good and bad thing. Group projects with college students are a bit of a struggle because everyone is all over the place, but it taught me a lot about teamwork and building on a passion.
What was your favorite moment in the program?
I thought it was really cool how they did a ceremony for all the DH minors who graduate. It was really a community and made me feel valued. It was nice to see the same faces over and over again because the minor is so small.
How has DH helped you in your professional career?
Recruiters absolutely love hearing about DH, and I love talking about it. DH really allowed me to hone my design skills.
Any advice for prospective DH minors?
Really take the time to write thoughtful answers on the application. If you show genuine interest in what you’re interest in and how DH applies to that, that’s the best way to get your application noticed.
Being successful in the program, I would definitely say get to know your professors and ask questions. Everyone in the program is really nice and all the professors are willing to help you out if you don’t understand what’s going on.