Time Warner Cable Awards Scholarship

Time Warner Cable awarded its “Women In Information Science” Scholarship of $2,500 to Jordan Warren, a junior at USM from Newport, Maine. Although she's a junior, Warren has only taken a few of the required courses for her Computer Science major. That's because before this year, her major was Foreign Languages.

Warren decided to try a Computer Science class on whim, but with little prior experience with computers, the beginning of her first CS class was quite similar to her old major – a foreign language. “The first month was jibberish,” she says. “But I walked out of there with an A.”

The two majors may seem far apart, but they do share some similarities. Programming languages, like Java or C++, have their own syntax, rules, and vocabulary, just like English or French. Now that Warren has a solid grasp on the subject she is working overtime to catch up with the major requirements. The week after her finals ended, the first of two summer courses started – physics and chemistry.

A cheerleader in high school and sorority sister on campus, Warren admits she isn't your stereotypical CS student. But she says she has an analytical mind, and besides languages she has always liked math and logic. She recalls one of her favorite projects growing up was an assignment to build a house. “We got to plan it and draw it out and build it,” she says. Warren built her house out of wood, with a detachable roof and detachable first and second floors.

Getting involved with technology at an early age makes students more likely to pursue careers in those fields. So too does your family, according to Lori Arsenault, Administrative Manager in the Office of the Dean of the School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology at USM. “Your parents and your upbringing play a big part in getting into a technical field.” Arsenault says parents should encourage their daughters to explore technical subjects that in the past might have been considered just for boys. Warren agrees, and some of her interest in technology probably stems from her father, who worked with computers for Cianbro and as an architect.

Warren isn't sure what direction of Computer Science she wants to follow, but the next year or two should help her decide. Time Warner Cable is proud to partner with USM and to support women studying technology. Congratulations Jordan!