CWU computer science and math major finds her future in academia

When Alice Williams came to check out Central Washington University’s computer science program in the summer of 2019, she had no idea that her career was about to go in a whole new direction.

After working as a software engineer for more than five years, one of Williams’ friends suggested that she pursue her bachelor’s degree at CWU. A fellow non-traditional student endorsing the program piqued her interest, and soon enough, Williams was a Wildcat.

“Being a non-traditional student, it was encouraging to see others like me doing well at Central, and that spoke to the quality of the program here,” she said. “I came up here for a summer to check it out, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Shortly after her visit to Ellensburg, Williams packed her things and moved from her hometown of Dallas, Texas. After spending a year establishing state residency, she enrolled in classes and soon found the CWU experience to be even better than she anticipated.

“The faculty here have been just wonderful; I really couldn’t have asked for better supporters,” Williams said. “The way you can just approach them, even just to chat and check in, that’s so different from any of my other experiences with education.”

Despite her original intention to pursue a computer science degree and return to her previous career path, Williams discovered several new passions thanks to the opportunities she received as an undergraduate.

“I came to CWU just wanting to get a degree and then get back to software engineering,” she said. “Here, I found out that I really enjoy research and teaching, so I’m going to stay with academia for as long as I can.”

In addition to research and teaching, Williams decided to add a math major to her program, expanding her skillset and, accordingly, her post-graduation opportunities.

“When I took my first high-level math class, the professor was just great, indulging any question I might have, on- or off-subject,” she said. “Having that active engagement helped me realize that math had a lot to offer me.”

Now, Williams is planning to become a college professor herself, finding inspiration from her CWU instructors, as well as the teaching experiences she gained along the way.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most has been getting thrown in the deep end and having the opportunity to conduct research and teach as an undergraduate student,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about the different skill levels that people can come into a classroom with, and how best to help them learn based on that. It’s a whole bunch of experience that I’ll definitely use when I’m leading my own classroom.”

During her time at CWU, Williams helped revive the Computer Science Club after the pandemic, chaired ASCWU’s Services and Activities Committee, and served as a teaching assistant at large for the computer science department, as well as several math classes.

Most recently, she co-authored a research paper with Dr. Boris Kovalerchuk that was accepted into the IV2024 (“Information Visualization”) international conference in Portugal, an opportunity made possible through CWU’s commitment to high-impact practices.

She is confident that having so many opportunities to ply her trades while still learning about them helped her get to where she is — and where she will go after she graduates in September.