Meet Melody Vang, who is a Minnesota native. We met Melody by chance right here through our FB page! We had the chance to connect with her and get to know a little about her experience as a Harvard student. Check out Melody’s journey as well as words of wisdom for our youth.
Melody Vang is a Junior at Harvard College studying computer science. She is a first-generation Hmong student from Minneapolis, MN. In her time at Harvard, she has co-chaired the largest global student-run conference for women in tech and was a UX design consultant for the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). She has also volunteered for various organizations from assisting high-achieving, low-income students apply to college to helping combat local homelessness in Boston.
Outside of school, she has interned at Samsung for a year as both a Software Engineer intern and a Product Management intern, where she oversaw the launch of her product to customers around the world. She also spent a summer working for Apple as a UX designer, where her product was one of six in the entire company to be presented to Craig Federighi (Apple’s VP of Software). She will be returning to Apple this summer for another internship.
Important advice to the high school kids aspiring to follow their dreams:
My biggest piece of advice is to listen. People are history and wisdom in living form. Listen closely and learn. But also take things with a grain of salt, because everyone comes from different walks of life. One of my mentors once told me that a good mentor won’t tell you the answer to choose, but rather, he or she will equip you with the right tools to create your own answer. I work hard but hard work won’t always get you to places. I attribute a large part of my success to the mentors in my life who helped guide me to be the person I am today. I surround myself with peers who uplift me and speak life into me during times I don’t feel worthy. These are all people who will fight for me and champion for my cause. But above all else, I give all my glory to God. I am so blessed to have had mentors and peers enter my life at the exact time I needed them and opportunities to help me grow as an individual.
Thank you Melody for sharing your inspirational story with us. You are an extraordinary young woman. We wish you the best of luck with your studies and hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here in Massachusetts!
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