Celebrating Computer Science Education Week - A Conversation w/ Dea Rrozhani & Kira Foster

To mark Computer Science Education Week, join Dea Rrozhani on December 8 at 8:30 p.m. MSK for a presentation on her computer science achievements and for a live Q&A session. A second-year Computer Science student at University of Pennsylvania, Dea will share her passion for coding and discuss how to make Computer Science education more equitable and accessible. To mark Computer Science Education Week, join Dea Rrozhani for a presentation on her computer science achievements and for a live Q&A session. A second-year Computer Science student at University of Pennsylvania, Dea will share her passion for coding and discuss how to make Computer Science education more equitable and accessible. She co-founded Gjejza, a mobile app that helps Albanian women fight gender-based violence, which won first place at the international 2019 Technovation Girls competition in Silicon Valley. Kira Foster, a senior student at the Ohio State University majoring in International Relations and Russian language, will moderate the discussion. About the guest speaker: Dea Rrozhani is a second-year Computer Science student at the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Tirana, Albania, Dea developed a passion for coding and engineering from a young age. At 16, she co-founded GjejZa, a mobile app that helps Albanian women fight gender-based violence. GjejZa won first place at the international 2019 Technovation Girls competition in Silicon Valley and was highlighted by the U.S. Department of State, Forbes, and Reuters. From 2018-2021, Dea was part of the National Robotics Team representing Albania in the FIRST Global Challenge, winning several awards at tournaments in Mexico City and Dubai. In 2020, she became Team Captain. Dea has presented at many STEM and youth events and conferences. She was a UNICEF Youth Delegate at the 2019 Western Balkans Conference in Brussels, as well as a speaker at the FIRST Global Sponsor Showcase in Dubai. From 2018 — 2020, she led her own coding and robotics club, RoboTech, at the American Corner in Tirana, where she mentored more than 60 students. Currently, Dea is pursuing a in Computer Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Teaching Assistant for an Electrical Engineering introductory course and is involved in the Society of Women Engineers at Penn. Dea is also part of Penn Electric Racing, the university’s premier Formula SAE team, where she designs PCBs for the Formula-style electric car that the team competes with every year. About the moderator: Kira Foster is in her final year at The Ohio State University majoring in International Relations and Russian language. She is minoring in Dance and is in the process of completing a certificate in professional translation and interpretation. Kira currently holds a total of four professional positions. She is a Resident Advisor for a first- and second- year dorm on campus, a student assistant with the Intercultural English Language Program through the Department of Teaching and Learning, and a research intern for a professor in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures researching and analyzing the collective memory of failed wars (the Vietnam War and the Soviet-Afghan War) through a journalistic lens. Kira is also an intern with the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs’ Office of Press and Public Diplomacy with the U.S. Department of State. Kira has previously worked for a nonprofit, Heart to Heart International, where she continues her involvement through volunteering in a data administration role. She also volunteers with US Together, a nonprofit created to help refugees become accustomed to life in the U.S. as an English language conversation partner. Outside of work, Kira is part of a dance organization on campus, Studio Dance at OSU, with whom she will be performing with this December, and she dabbles in powerlifting. Kira is originally from Kansas, is a heritage Russian language speaker, and has been independently studying French for the past few years.