Alumni Spotlight: Emely Villeda-Principe
Creative Computation alum Emely Villeda-Principe (B.A. '17) fostered her love for the arts with her pursuit of engineering during her time at Meadows.
Emely Villeda-Principe (B.A. ’17) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.
Meadows’ vast array of programs and flexibility to pursue and balance multiple interests are often big draws for prospective students. It can even be the deciding factor for alumni like Emely Villeda-Principe when choosing school to which they will matriculate.
“I wanted to learn how to combine both art and engineering, which is exactly what the Creative Computation program at Meadows offered,” says Villeda-Principe. “Studying at Meadows allowed me to continue to foster my love of the arts, while also pursuing computer sciences.”
Once she graduated with a double major in computer science, she leveraged the skills she learned in her programs to land a job as a software engineer for AT&T. Her specific role deals with front-end development, leaning towards user experience design.
“Thanks to what I learned in the Creative Computation program, I’m able to approach problems through both technical and creative perspectives,” explains Villeda-Principe, who is known on her team for her design expertise. “I help plan the look of our applications and what key features are needed to deliver the best user experience, in addition to delivering the needed functionality.”
At AT&T, her team will often work on projects from the ground up, giving them the freedom to plan the design and choose the technologies they work with from the beginning. Their expertise is required across many areas of the company and necessary to tackle problems unique to different users and needs. Being a part of the process from start to finish allows Villeda-Principe’s creative skills to shine.
Having the ability to blend her interests together in a unique educational path, and gain hands-on experience while at Meadows, opened up a lot of doors in the technology industry after she graduated. She encourages current students to pursue their individual interests and find creative ways to incorporate them into their future career, particularly in the tech industry.
“The field of technology is expansive and constantly advancing,” she explains. “There's a high chance you'll find something that sparks your passion.”