Hi, I’m a Vietnamese CS PhD student in the US, currently pursuing a minor in Educational Psychology.

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This project came to my mind in 2019 while I was applying for a PhD in CS.

At that time, there were so many negative stereotypes that I believed, and I was really looking for someone out there to show me that Vietnamese women can make it in this field too…

Unfortunately, I cannot ❌.

However,

Fortunately, I was bold enough to (still) apply and (also) fortunate enough to got offers by some universities 🍀.

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Over the last two years, I kept wondering if it was just me – maybe it’s a fact that women usually don’t go for PhDs in Computer Science? 💭

But I couldn’t help but ask: Am I the only one? Are there really these “invisible” barriers that keep women from chasing after STEM careers, especially in higher education? (Like the self-doubt and craving for role models that I experienced?) 💭

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That curiosity finally led me to take a course in Educational Psychology (Stereotype, Discrimination, and Education), where I realized I was not alone.

These “invisible” barriers are real and are found everywhere (proven by actual research).

Thus, I officially launched this project and strive to maintain it as long as I can.

I hope this might inspire “a younger version of myself” to pursue a PhD in CS 🌱.

No worries, we got this! ✨

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