2019年，Ericka Corrall ' 22在伯洛伊特学院学生运营的广播电台WBCR主持广播节目.“我从中学开始就喜欢计算机科学，”Ericka Corral ' 22说. “I also love problem-solving. 伯洛伊特学院通过为我提供多种研究经验，让我把这两者结合在一起. I am excited to build on those at the University of Denver, where I’ll focus on artificial intelligence (AI). I’m looking forward to finding new ways to apply 计算机科学.”

Ericka对计算机科学的热爱可能使研究型大学成为她上大学的明显选择. There, students focus almost exclusively on their 主要s. But Ericka’s wanted to take classes in more than one subject, 包括 日本 和 音乐. 如果感觉合适的话，他们还希望能够灵活地改变对计算机科学的看法.

参加IIT全球领袖项目的辅导员们建议Beloit在初中和高中时参加. It not only met Ericka’s criteria but offered a bonus. 这所大学离她在芝加哥的家很近，所以她的家人可以去看望她.

An important question remained. 伯洛伊特会有什么感觉 欢迎?

一个家庭 访问 to Beloit was reassuring.

“It was the first time my parents set foot on a college campus. 我们三个人都对学院不同的建筑印象深刻, 美, 和通过性, 和 my parents were fascinated by dorm life. The 访问 was magical. We left convinced I’d made the right choice.”

如果说埃里卡在伯洛伊特的成功似乎是板上了板，但个人现实很快就搅局了. 从小就肩负着重要的家庭责任, 包括 as translator at age 6, 埃里卡认为他们在上大学的时候就会完全成长为成年人. That was not the case; Ericka still had growing to do. 冒名顶替综合症也出现了，这在即将上大学的移民子女身上很常见.

十大菠菜台子 graduate Ericka Corral’22.埃里卡属于大学吗，更确切地说，属于伯洛伊特学院吗?

Fortunately, Beloit has a strong student support system. 甚至在课程开始之前，Ericka就参加了学校提供的编程 Student Excellence 和 Leadership Program (选取). 伯洛伊特的一个 三个项目在美国，选取支持像埃里卡这样在高等教育中代表性不足的学生. 选取 director Maria Scarpaci 和 assistant director Daryl Saladar 确保选取学生感到受欢迎，安全和能够成功.

“Maria consistently made me feel smart 和 awesome,” Ericka says. “She always reminds 选取 students that they belong in college. And Daryl was like a father figure to me. 我父亲尽了最大的努力，但他既不了解大学经历，也不了解伯洛伊特. Daryl在我需要的时候给予我学术上和情感上的支持，并在实际问题上帮助我.例如:, 车祸后, 达里尔帮助埃里卡解决保险和其他与汽车有关的问题.

Ericka was also encouraged by faculty.

苏珊•古 一名教职员工 modern languages 和 literatures他在Ericka的第一年研讨会上授课，并为他们提供建议，直到他们宣布退休 计算机科学 主要. The two would remain close throughout Ericka’s time at Beloit. Coincidentally, Susan leads Beloit’s 日本的项目.

“我花了很多时间在苏珊的办公室里，不仅谈论学术，还谈论生活. In turn, Susan sometimes talked about her own experiences. 她还确保我运用了我们在第一年的研讨会上所学到的东西. ‘Are you keeping yourself organized? Have you done X or Y yet?她会问.”

埃里卡追求的三个利益，帮助他们来到伯洛伊特.

First, 日本 was going well. “Beloit’s much smaller classes accelerated my progress. Individual attention was just what I needed.” Japan’s prowess in AI had led Ericka to study 日本 in the first place; working for a 日本 company remains a dream.

Second, Ericka’s interest in 计算机科学 was bolstered by project-based learning.

“After my sophomore year, I spent the summer helping professor 伊亚德·哈吉说 develop an algorithm for detecting kidney disease. 这很难! Not only did I have to learn a lot of new concepts, 而是因为COVID, I had to do everything from home instead of on campus with Eyad.” Eyad knew how to motivate 和 support Ericka, 然而, 和 Ericka was becoming a more independent learner. The combination got Ericka through the project.

麦克奈尔2022届毕业生. From left: Ericka, Gisela, Desire, Caitlin, 和 Yol和a.参与 麦克奈尔的学者这是Beloit TRIO项目中的另一个项目，它让Ericka第二次尝试基于项目的学习. 麦克奈尔学者计划根据研究项目的实力，为有前途的本科生提供在被指定为“R1”的大学进行研究的机会，为他们的研究生学习做好准备. 麦克奈尔大学还为其学生提供了探索研究生院选择和申请指导的机会.

“When I decided on McNair, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to graduate school; I had no idea what that involved. 我也不知道该怎么考虑做研究，因为我的经验是如此有限.”

麦克奈尔的工作人员凯特琳·罗萨里奥·凯利和克里斯汀·弗雷在那里帮助并鼓励埃里卡申请 SureStart x MIT FutureMakers Create-a-Thon 暑期项目. Divided into teams to work on real-world problems of their choice, Ericka’s group worked on an app to detect facial paralysis.

“其中一名团队成员有中风家族史，这就是我们想出这个项目的原因. 意识到我们可以通过发明一种更快速地检测中风的方法来帮助我们认识的人，这真是令人兴奋.” Although this had also been a virtual experience, Ericka realized they wanted research in their future. It didn’t hurt that their team won first place in the Create-a-Thon.

另外两个基于项目的学习经历使Ericka在研究道路上走得更远. 贝洛伊特数学家 本Stucky was the advisor for both.

Presenting research at the MKN McNair Heartl和 Conference.本在我们的 离散数学课 that he wanted to do research with students in the college’s summer science research 程序. 我提出了申请，并在校园里花了四周时间帮助寻找改进学院微积分入门课程的方法. 研究团队之间就我们正在进行的不同STEM课程改进进行了很好的交流. 参与研究，使伯洛伊特大学的学生受益，这也是令人满意的.”

最后，本教授的一门高级顶点课程让我明白了研究的重要性.

“我们分成几个小组，使用数学模型来确定在沃尔沃斯县部署移动诊所的最佳地点. 敞开怀抱自由诊所委托进行这项研究的组织促进了获得保健的机会. Our findings will help shape its work going forward.”

Ericka was the only 计算机科学 主要 on the team; the others all studied math. “看到我的计算机科学研究使我能够做出贡献，这令人振奋.”

ttending Latinx Formal with friend Kathryn Linton, left.' data-max-h="1267" data-max-w="1267" height="500" loading="lazy" src="/live/image/gid/59/width/500/height/500/crop/1/src_region/158,90,1425,1357/9887_Attending_the_Latinex_formal_with_friend_Kathryn_Linton_left.rev.1657826514.jpg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/59/width/500/height/500/crop/1/src_region/158,90,1425,1357/9887_Attending_the_Latinex_formal_with_friend_Kathryn_Linton_left.rev.1657826514.jpg 2x" title="Attending the Latinex formal with friend Kathryn Linton left" width="500"/> Ericka Corral ' 22 attending Latinx Formal with friend Kathryn Linton, left.And as for Ericka’s third interest, they were also able to pursue 音乐, first by enrolling in Beloit’s Interarts Ensemble, which is offered as a course, 和 in their senior year, by taking voice lessons.

“My 语音老师r是Jennifer Shanin. She’d been a backup vocalist for a Rolling Stones tour. 这是多么令人兴奋啊?”

Ericka loves rock 和 mariachi. As an 8-year-old, they’d learned how to hit a note. 现在，通过呼吸和其他技巧，他们向詹妮弗学习如何感受音符. And as 音乐 students at Beloit not only take lessons but perform, Ericka sang publicly twice, singing Mexican songs each time to honor their heritage.

“I grew up going to Chicago restaurants with mariachi 音乐. So I sang “La Llorona” 和 Carla Morrison’s ballad “Disfruto.伯洛伊特学院鼓励学生帮助校园音乐多样化. 我很高兴能成为其中的一员，并以此来纪念我的父母.”

当他们前往丹佛开始研究生学习时，埃里卡很兴奋. The University of Denver feels right, just as Beloit had. 

与Jerry Phuc(左)和Kathryn Linton(中)在创客实验室.Ericka advises Beloit students to balance living with academics. “You need to have fun along with being studious.”

Friends were incredibly important during Ericka’s time at Beloit, 包括 other McNair scholars 和 Kathryn Linton. The two spent many hours in Beloit’s 公司实验室 和 were thrilled to be able to room together in their senior year. The p和emic had interrupted their plans to do so earlier.

Also, forget having everything figured out on day one. “College is where you learn who you are. Take advantage of your four years at Beloit to do that.”