CS Senior Spotlight: Ethan Pineda

Ethan Pineda has always seen himself as a builder. From constructing LEGO sets to crafting structures with copy paper and tape, to world building in Minecraft, Pineda’s childhood curiosity to learn and understand the fundamental how’s and why’s led him on a path to pursue STEM and engineering.

Pineda is also a builder of community. In addition to serving as a peer mentor for 11 quarters, he has held leadership positions in several student organizations:

• Pineda co-founded ColorStack and Emerging Coders, where he launched a mentorship program to help support first-generation and low-income students.
• As director of technology for Mayfest Productions, Pineda led a team of ten students who built the mobile app for Northwestern’s Dillo Day, the nation's largest student-run music festival.
• Pineda managed 60 students in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) MentorSHPE program, which matches first- and second-year Latine engineering students with third- and fourth-year mentors.
• As a technical lead with Develop and Innovate for Social Change (DISC), Pineda helped plan a quarter of workshop lectures teaching full-stack engineering to Northwestern Computer Science majors. Through DISC’s Discover Program, Pineda leads a group of more than 40 students who help build technical solutions for location non-profits in Evanston and Chicago.
• Pineda was also an active member of the Computer Science Student Advisory Board, Alianza, and Futuredev.

Pineda, who graduates this month with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in Latina and Latino studies from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, reflected on his experiences at Northwestern and shared advice for students.

What inspired you to pursue a degree in computer science at Northwestern?

I didn't declare a computer science major right away, but after taking a few of the introductory classes, I saw just how far computer science can scale. The idea that I could connect the world through the internet and create something meaningful — whether solving a small problem that people have or building a platform that brings people together — made me realize this was the right path for me. Ultimately, computer science hits that sweet spot for me that combines my passion for problem solving, creating, and opportunity to have an impact.

What role do creativity and design play in your approach to coding or building systems?

Since I spend most of my time building full-stack applications end-to-end, creativity and design are at the heart of every stage of my development process. I like to sketch out my ideas on paper first to diagram how data flows through services and outline the rough wireframe of the user interface. I repeat this process over and over again until I think I've landed on what works best. That low-fidelity exploration phase lets me narrow down my ideas, set up a foundation for what I want to build and how, and give me a starting point for implementation.

I am a huge talker, and so if there is anything that I get stuck on, I try to explain the flow or design to myself verbally, and usually then I can unblock myself and figure out what's the best design for something.

How did you stay motivated during difficult times in your academic career?

Whenever I had a rough time or period in my academic career it was always important for me to zoom out and look at the broader picture. Being the first in my family to attend college, I was often caught up in always striving for the highest possible results. However, I realized early on that, regardless of the outcome, one assignment, project, or exam would not define me or my skills and capabilities. I had to take everything as a learning experience, no matter how hard it was.

Additionally, I am a big advocate of journaling and reflecting. It's important for me to log and journal my experiences and times at Northwestern. At the end of every quarter since the fall of my first year, I've written a detailed journal entry reflecting on the past quarter. Asking myself questions about what went right, what didn't feel right, and where was I struggling? This was important for me to keep on improving as a student and motivating me to improve after every quarter.

What skills or knowledge did you learn in the undergraduate program that you think will stay with you for a lifetime?

My all-time favorite classes: COMP_SCI 388: Software Engineering Beyond Programming, COMP_SCI 396: Communicating Computer Science, and COMP_SCI 329: HCI Studio, all gave me opportunities to learn and practice communicating technical ideas clearly, tailoring my message for different kinds of audiences, and defending my design decisions.

Over time, I've become significantly better at listening to others’ perspectives, making a compelling case for my own, and finding common ground. That has made me feel confident in leading technical teams as well as collaborating seamlessly with classmates from all kinds of backgrounds towards a shared goal. This is something that I will always treasure and be grateful for learning and improving during my time at Northwestern.

What's next? What are your short- and long-term plans/goals in terms of graduate studies and/or career path?

After interning at Salesforce for two summers, I will be returning to their San Francisco headquarters this fall as a full-time software engineer. I also plan to pursue a master’s degree in computer science either in the Bay Area or in my hometown of Chicago.

What advice would you give to current or incoming CS students?

Don't make the mistake of going through college on cruise control. Talk to your professors, find a community in computer science that you enjoy, form connections with your peers, and always stay curious. Ultimately, to be successful and have a good time studying computer science, it is not merely just what technical skills you have or obtained. Instead, it is about having the motivation and desire to explore, tinker, and build things that interest you and solve real-world problems.

Finally, do not get caught up in what others are doing. Everyone's paths are different. Always give yourself grace. The quarter system is brutal at times and it's easy to get overwhelmed. Don't be scared to go at your own pace and don't feel guilty taking breaks or doing things for fun. Take classes outside computer science. There is a whole world waiting for you, and you'll find cool and unique ways to combine your interests, even if they don't seem related at first.