Kazi Anwar

College: Hunter College

Education Level: Sophomore

Career Interest: Computer Science/Design

I'm Kazi! I am a sophomore at Hunter College and majoring in Computer Science. I came to America six years ago and I have experienced both the challenges and the opportunities that come with being part of a diverse immigrant community. From searching for homes to working two jobs at the very least to fund my household, I have always been hardworking and driven. I'm a completionist at heart. Whether its a game or the excel sheet I use to keep track of my assignments, I try my best to leave no boxes unchecked. While sometimes it is to my detriment as I lose sleep over things I left unfinished, it is what makes me, me. I love seeing things completed so I can unwind knowing I do not have tasks uncompleted. However, as I grow older I realize that some tasks are always looming on the horizon. On top of being hardworking, I am passionate about coding and technology. Coming from a low-income background myself, I want to be able to provide back and make sure others from first generation low-income households thrive. I believe that computer science has the power to make a positive impact on people's lives, and that's why I'm always looking for ways to apply my skills to projects that make a difference. Seeing people happy, laughing and smiling is something I hold dear to my heart. It is the sole reason I find something fulfilling. If I know people are benefitting and are living more prosperous lives just because of me, it gives me an added incentive. Outside of school and work, I am always looking for ways to improve my skills and give back to the community. I have created my personal website, where I share my experiences and takes on various things. I have also created a discrete structures playlist on YouTube, where I explain complex discrete computer science concepts in an easy-to-understand way. All in all, helping others and making a positive impact on people's lives is what drives me, and I am always looking for new opportunities to do so!

What was your role?

UX/UI

What did you work on?

What was the impact of your project?

I am stoked to be a part of the Chores Team at Unadat! After my initial introduction to Unadat, I expressed my willingness to benefit people`s lives and the Chores Team feels like a perfect fit. Coming from a family of immigrants, I understand the value of instilling life-long habits in children and automating chores management for parents. Chores are indeed often a source of conflict and awkwardness within a family. By implementing calendar functions for easy chores tracking and specifying chores frequency, Chores will remove that tension and make the experience more positive for everyone involved. By serving as a UI/UX designer for the chores team, I will be contributing to a platform that will help families tailor chores to their unique needs and schedules.Overall, I am excited to be a part of a team that is working on a product with the potential to positively impact families and children`s development!

What did you learn or improve on from this internship or from your teammates?

What skills have you gained?

Every meeting thus far, Sean drops a fun fact that I did not know before such as where how the idea of payment methods was brainstormed by a pair of drunk friends or how the Amazonians or Googlers operate. On top of that, there is a lot of industry insight that I`ve grown fond of. In all, the biggest new skill I`ve learnt thus far is communication.

What was the biggest roadblock you've overcome?

Scheduling times were difficult for me in the first week. Juggling time taking care of parents, schoolwork and 2 other jobs, my calendar looked very booked. However, I overcame it and scheduled time offs for Unadat meetings and completing tasks and looking forward, I don`t see myself running into conflicts any time soon!

How has company culture guided your work?

What was your experience at Unadat?

What was one big project you worked on during the internship? Can you walk me through the process?

What advice would you give to future interns?

For the next crop of interns, I would suggest to keep utilizing discord as the main means of communication but rather use Zoom to host the meetings. Most of us are more accustomed to zoom and the advent of breakout rooms make crowd control easier. Discord is a much better alternative to slack however and I would suggest to continue using it. Perhaps a secret channel for past interns to network and interact in the Unadat discord would be cool?