Julie's CRA-W Distributed Mentor Program Website ~ Summer 2006

Hello, and welcome to my website! My name is Julie Rico, and I am an undergraduate in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). I am in Informatics major at UCI, a major which focuses on the "interdisciplinary study of the design, application, use and impacts of information technology." This is a really exciting and engaging feild of study in computer science where everyday something new and exciting is happening.

I will be entering into my third year at UCI in the fall of 2006, planning to graduate in four years (2008). After that, I intend on continuing to graduate school to continue studying informatics. I have so much fun studying this topic that I don't want to stop with a mere bachelor's degree!

About Me

I grew up in Southern California, in the O.C. As much as I would love to tell you it is just like the show (well, it can be sometimes!) it really isn't. I went to high school at a school in Santa Ana called Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), where I studied Musical Theater for four years along with "normal" academics. OCHSA is set up in the following way: regular high school classes take place from 8:00-2:30, and conservatory classes take place from 2:30-5:00. It was a truly unique experience (and a half hour commute) which led me to choose such a creative major while still keeping things pretty technical.

I have attended UCI for two years now, and am enjoying college more than I could've imagined. I have been active in many places on campus, including joining the UCI fencing team, becoming a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, and helping found the Informatics Student Association(INSA) and acting as Treasurer for INSA from 2005-2006. In my freetime, I enjoy scrapbooking and caring for my pet iguana.