Stanford University
Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence Specialization
Great Minds in STEM would like to recognize our June Scholar of the Month, Isabel Orlanes Gallegos. Isabel is currently attending Stanford University in a coterminal degree program where she will complete her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with Honors and a minor in Education, as well as her Master of Science in Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence Specialization.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Isabel comes from a family of hardworking individuals. Her mother and her mother’s family uprooted their lives in the Philippines in order to come to the United States in hopes of better opportunities. Isabel’s father also made an impact on Isabel’s future. Growing up, Isabel witnessed her father’s outreach educational programs for the underserved communities that her father was once part of. This dynamic duo instilled in Isabel the importance of pursuing higher education and giving back to her community.
During her educational career, Isabel has achieved great accomplishments. She has participated in multiple internships as a Research Intern for Sandia National Laboratory in 2018 and 2019, as well as a Software Engineer Intern in 2020 and 2021 for Jane Street Capital, Apple, and Microsoft. While at Sandia National Laboratories, Isabel used machine learning, image processing, simulation, data compression, and data estimation to analyze hyperspectral x-ray computed tomography (H-CT) data. Most impressively, Isabel also holds two patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office alongside two publications as first author. Isabel also worked in the Stanford Laboratory of Quantitative Imaging and Artificial Intelligence where she developed machine learning models to predict disease diagnoses, and now works in the Stanford Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab (RegLab) to understand the encoding of race in healthcare data. Most recently, she was recognized as a Hertz Fellow, Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholar, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and GEM Fellow.
Amongst her wonderful academic achievements, Isabel uses her knowledge of Computer Science to help her community on and off campus. On campus, she was the Executive Chair of the Stanford Women in Computer Science (WiCS) Outreach Team in 2020 through 2021. She has also served as a Corporate Liaison and Vice President, with a later position as President of the Stanford Society of Latinx Engineers (SOLE). As president of SOLE, Isabel led a team of 14 officers and 14 freshmen interns. Due the switch to remote learning, Isabel’s main goal during her presidency was to develop a strategy to increase membership and participation. That year, Isabel and her team reached over 100 members of the Latinx community at Stanford, the highest level of participation in many years. She was also involved off campus participating in an after-school outreach program supporting first-generation, low-income middle school students. The program consisted of Isabel guiding the students through a coding assignment during a 10-week span where she also helped create the curriculum.
Isabel is also no stranger to Great Minds in STEM. She has presented her research at the 2020 GMiS Conference, joined the Class of 2021 GMiS Scholars as a recipient of a Lockheed Martin Corporation Scholarship, and is also part of the Class of 2022 GMiS Scholars as a recipient of a Capital One Scholarship. Most notably, Isabel was recognized as one of the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leaders at the 2021 GMiS Conference for her leadership roles. Her participation with GMiS was due to her mentor and role model, Dr. Edward Jimenez. Dr. Jimenez was awarded the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) Most Promising Engineer in 2014. Isabel’s future plans consist of graduating in June 2023 with her Bachelor and Master of Science from Stanford University. She will also begin her Ph.D. in Computer Science at Stanford in Fall 2023. Isabel has also mentioned to us that she plans on continuing to volunteer in her community. She tells us, “As a Hispanic woman finding my place in STEM, I feel responsible and empowered to inspired others who follow me, to spark change that benefits members of the community, and to create new solutions that stem from my experiences.” Well said, Isabel! Great Minds in STEM wishes you the best of luck on your future endeavors and congratulates you on your recent graduation!