Elizaveta Sheremetyeva

My role within Women in Computing:

Co-President

About me:

I am a first-year Joint Maths and Computing student and am originally from Russia. Being brought up in two different countries meant that I benefited from not facing gender stereotyping in STEM when I was first exploring my interests. Combining the best of both cultures has significantly helped me feel more confident in myself and get to where I am now. I would like to share this confidence with current and future Women in Computing and empower them to be their best selves.

In terms of hobbies, I used to play chess competitively, representing England at three international events. While I don’t dedicate so much time to chess anymore - I’m still happy to challenge anyone to a match! Now I like to spend my time walking and trying out new recipes.

What I love about Computing:

It’s both a science and an art, and nowadays plays a crucial role in almost every aspect of our lives! Personally, I love the “aha!” moments I get when I finally figure out how to solve a problem, whether in Maths, logic or when something is going wrong in my programming projects.

What being part of the Women in Computing Network means to me and why I joined:

I want to empower all individuals to feel more confident and an important part of the Department of Computing community. All of us have experiences and knowledge to share, and I believe it is important to take advantage of the network we have here at Imperial. 

Like everyone on our team,  I am passionate about empowering women and promoting gender diversity in Computing. I hope to grow the network stronger despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, and we will aim to make our events as memorable and engaging as they would have been face-to-face.

Who inspires me:

An example from the past is Elizabeth Holberton - one of the six original programmers for the first multi-purpose computer ENIAC, and the inventor of breakpoints in debugging! And an example from the current times is all the inspiring women, both staff and students, whom I have met at Imperial. Each person has a different background and story to share, and has made their mark in Computing through research and projects.

Something people might not know about me is:

I enjoy doing cybersecurity on the side and am a GIAC Certified Incident Handler.