Cassidy Williams is about to enter her senior year at Iowa State University and she’s kind of a big deal. As the only undergraduate student selected to participate in British Airways’ UnGrounded Hackathon, she was also a member of the Hackathon’s winning team who presented their solution at the G8 Innovation Conference and the Decide Now Act Summit. On top of that, Cassidy is an intern working on front-end development for Intuit this summer and is on her way to designing apps for Google Glass. Cassidy also loves graphic design, making music videos, playing music, drawing, and karaoke. We asked her to tell us more about what’s she’s been up to this summer and what her experience as a woman in the STEM field has been like so far.

What led you to become interested in tech? Has there been a certain opportunity/event/instance that convinced you, “I want to do this”?

I sort of “discovered” computer science on my own. Nobody in my family is in the tech field. When I was in 8th grade, I was walking home from school and I heard someone say, “check out my website!” It was a lightbulb moment for me. All I could think was, “you can have one of those??”

I went home that day and researched everything I could about making websites. I eventually made my own and had a forum with over 100 members (it was definitely the pre-Facebook era), and upon entering high school I kept playing with it. I loved making things with a purpose that people would use. Soon I took AP Computer Science in high school, and I knew from that point on that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life!

What are you studying at Iowa State and what opportunities has that created for you?

At Iowa State, I’m studying computer science and minoring in Spanish. The opportunities I’ve had have been unbelievable. I’m a leader across multiple organizations on campus (both computer and Spanish related), I’ve studied abroad in Spain, I’ve had 5 internships, I’ve traveled to the White House, to Portland, to Baltimore, and to Tucson for conferences (both attending and speaking), and I participated in the British Airways’ UnGrounded Thinking hackathon!

What was the first project you ever worked on?

Like I mentioned before, it was a forum-based website for my friends and I to talk together. It was our own social network!

What projects have you been focusing on this summer?

I’ve done several hackathons this summer for smaller projects like to-do list applications and a pictionary web app. I’m working on a project to accelerate small businesses and local economies (through an internal startup competition at Intuit), a project to make a game to teach kids about finances, and an app that helps you find your things (like where you last parked your car, your bike, etc). I also worked on my personal website, cassidoo.co, and did a complete redesign, and I’m working on setting myself up to make some apps for Google Glass!

Gone on any fun adventures this summer?

British Airways’ UnGrounded Hackathon was probably the biggest one.

British Airways’ UnGrounded is the first innovation lab in the sky, designed to connect industry leaders and creative minds for the purpose of tackling challenges that affect the next generation of global innovators. So basically, it was a hackathon on a plane from San Francisco to London! I was a member of Team Altitude: tackling the challenge of how to foster women in STEM positions. On the flight, teams came up with ideas and pitches to tackle the challenge.

On my team (with Kelly), we made AdvisHer, an online community that leverages the power of pipeline programs to advise, advocate, and accelerate women in STEM related jobs around the world. We ended up winning the hackathon on the flight! Afterwards at the G8 Innovation Conference and the Decide Now Act Summit, we presented our solution. Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, officially offered support for the project’s goal of advising, advocating, and accelerating women in STEM related jobs.

I was also the only undergraduate student on the flight, so that was pretty neat.

What have you learned during your internship with Intuit this summer and how has it impacted you?

One thing that Intuit really focuses on is called D4D, or “Design for Delight.” It really focuses on the user and getting a really precise vision for your product based on feedback from your users every step of the way. I personally have never gone so deep into user feedback before, so doing usability tests and surveys have really helped me look at development from a different side than I’d ever seen before.

What have you noticed about being a woman in STEM? Challenges? Advantages?

I’ve noticed that there aren’t many of us, plain and simple. In my graduating class, there are only 4 of us left, out of quite a lot. In my opinion, that’s ridiculous and wrong. Girls drop like flies, and we have to change that. If you’re only seeing half the picture, how do you know you’re making the best products?

What’s your favorite mobile app and why?

That’s a tough one. I’m torn between Sleep Cycle (when you’re as busy as I am, anything that can help you sleep is a dream. Pun intended), POP (great for prototyping apps), and the Quora app!

I also play more games than an adult my age should on my phone… Jetpack Joyride, Robot Unicorn Attack, and Dots. So good.

What lessons did you learn during your childhood that you’ve carried with you?

That girls can do anything boys can do. I specifically remember a time in kindergarten where I was playing LEGOs and some boys told me that LEGOs were for boys, and I got so mad that I built towers taller than all of them.

Best thing about being a woman in tech?

A tight-knit community and free swag at conferences! Oh, and of course being a positive role model and all that.

Do you have any advice for young girls considering entering the STEM field?

Ask lots of questions. Ask for help, ask to meet people, ask about your current assignments. People are willing to help you, and you never know what you’ll get out of it!

This post was created by Raine Dalton, WIM’s editorial and community innovation intern. Raine is passionate about finding creative ways to empower women globally through tech. In addition to WIM, Raine has written, tweeted, and posted for the Global Banking Alliance for Women, WITNESS, and 90.7 WFUV News. You can find her work at www.rainedalton.com or get in touch with her through Twitter @rainedalton, or by emailing raine@wim.co.