Claire de Saint Phalle and Tanisha Saxena both developed their interest in computer science in after-school programs. They learned to build robots and program at early ages, and went on to nurture those interests throughout high school and all the way to Carnegie Mellon University.

In May, they'll both cross the School of Computer Science (SCS) graduation stage as recipients of the Stehlik Scholarship.

Now in its 12th year, the Stehlik Scholarship recognizes SCS students who have achieved excellence beyond the classroom, making a difference in the field of computer science and the world around them. The award is granted to SCS students near the end of their undergraduate careers and encourages them to increase their engagement in both research and the larger CMU community.

Tanisha Saxena

Saxena started taking classes through KTBYTE Computer Science Academy in elementary school and, within a few years, had exhausted all her course options. So she became a teacher.

"I wanted to be the teacher that encouraged other women interested in computer science to continue pursuing this passion," said Saxena, a senior in the Computer Science Department (CSD). "Computer science is such a male dominated field, and I wanted to make sure I saw my female students again."

In high school, she worked at MIT on research into theoretical distributed systems and crossed paths with CMU Professor Elaine Shi, who has joint appointments in CSD and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. That led her to learn about CMU and what the school could offer her, and helped her decide to enroll in SCS.

Although research led her to SCS, Saxena said her ability to take on leadership roles made her experience on campus special. She joined the Association for Computing Machinery Club at CMU and the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) her freshman year and went on to become president of both. On top of that, she has also been a teaching assistant (TA) for 15-451: Algorithm Design and Analysis, and is a resident assistant. But even when the work piled up, Saxena said its impact kept her going.

"For example, my main motto for the GDSC was, 'This is a club by CMU students for CMU students,'" she said. "To ensure that our club members got what they needed, I made sure that we did something that no other clubs were doing. So we did outreach to external companies and we were like, 'Hey, we can contract CMU SCS students that want work experience. It's mutually beneficial — our club members get experience and startups get workers.'"

Saxena said she was shocked to learn that she received the Stehlik Scholarship, and she's thrilled she's been able to truly impact the SCS community through these organizations.

Claire de Saint Phalle

Saint Phalle shared Saxena's surprise at learning she'd received this year's Stehlik Scholarship.

"I did not know I was in consideration for it," Saint Phalle said. "So I was pleasantly surprised and, of course, very honored to be recognized in this way."

The AI and applied mathematics double major started her computer science journey at a robotics summer camp in third grade.

"Through that camp, I got into programming robots and I stuck with it through middle and high school," Saint Phalle said. "I took some in-depth classes about cybersecurity and machine learning and, from there, I discovered artificial intelligence and was really interested in it. That's what led me to CMU — it was the only school with an artificial intelligence program."

Saint Phalle's desire to major in AI brought her to Pittsburgh, but she said the culture and community made it feel like home. She grew up sailing, and said when she saw the rivers here, she wanted to continue nurturing that hobby and sharing it with others. So in her freshman year, she started a sailing club. She's also part of the club tennis team and active in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She said her fellow sorority members helped her immensely when navigating SCS and her majors, which inspired her to give back. She was a TA for 15-281: Artificial Intelligence — Representation and Problem Solving, and mentored fellow students.

"I think a lot of times people in computer science can get stuck in computer science," she said. "I really encouraged people to try other things and branch out. I think it's good to have more perspective and make new connections. I also wanted to make sure I supported people in the same way others supported me, offering advice about classes or applying to internships."

Saint Phalle said she wouldn't have gotten her first internship freshman year without the advice of older students in her sorority. Her freshman and sophomore years, she interned with Intuit's cybersecurity division, and one of the projects she worked on is currently in the patent process. Most recently she interned with Gloss Genius, a software company for small businesses in the beauty industry.

Before she graduates in May, Saint Phalle has one more job she's excited about: being game chair for her sorority's booth at Spring Carnival. The theme? Taylor Swift.

"I love CMU's funky traditions, and that's another reason why I came to this school," she said. "It's a unique culture, where people are unapologetically themselves."