Caren Zeng

Caren Zeng, a senior studying Computer Science with a minor in Technology and Management, believes that Grainger Engineers are known for their rigor, passion, and a desire to make the world better. 

As a high school student, Caren dedicated much of her time toward nonprofit work as she had a strong desire to improve the world. Now, she aspires to translate her technological skills that she’s learned through her engineering curriculum into tools for social good. Caren is making a difference in the Computer Science department is by serving as a female role model for women just beginning their STEM journey in The Grainger College of Engineering.  

Upon being awarded the H.L. Wakeland Undergraduate Leadership Award, Caren has worked to encourage others to become involved in campus activities. She believes that her award helps show fellow students that hard work and dedication can make a difference not only for oneself, but for the STEM community overall. In addition to the leadership award, she has also been recognized as a 2020 Knight of St. Patrick.  

For Caren, the computer science program has prepared her to be confident in her abilities to solve real-world problems while seeing the fruition of her efforts. Each week, computer science students are responsible for designing, writing, and testing thousands of lines of code. While this is challenging at times, Caren sees these experiences as a trust exercise between herself and the department.  

Outside of her academic responsibilities, Caren holds multiple leadership roles inside and outside of the campus community. She works as the Chairperson for the Association for Computing Machinery and is an Executive Partner for OTCR Consulting. She has also worked as an intern for many well-known companies such as Capital One, Microsoft, and Google.  

After graduation, Caren is hoping to return to Google to work as a product manager at the company’s New York City office.