Congratulations to our Zonta Club of Oak Brook’s first Women in STEM Scholarship Award winner, Kayecee Palisoc!

Kayecee is currently enrolled in the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy pursuing her Master degree in Computer Science and Public Policy. Her previous studies earned her a Bachelor of Applied Mathematics degree in Actuarial Science, followed by a Master of Statistics.

Having grown up in the Philippines, Kayecee experienced the awareness of social injustice and inequities. She is thankful for the level of education she was privileged to receive in a country where that opportunity is not open to all. She credits her education for enabling her to help open opportunities for others. As her education continued, she realized how the digital world is changing very rapidly, and it needs bridging to the unconnected segments in society. One of her goals focuses on the extreme spaces where she can contribute to technology policies while bridging the accessibility and skill gaps. Kayecee’s academic background and professional banking and insurance data analysis work experience led her to volunteer with young students in learning skills for digital jobs with various organizations in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Not only is that Kayecee’s  goal for the future, she is already working actively on it within in her short time at the Harris School of Public Policy and Computer Science.  According to  Associate Dean of Students and her Professor of Technology Policy at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Kayecee has a strong passion for technology policy beyond her academics, her involvement in two organizations that revolve around Data Science and Technology:

• HarrisTech (an organization that serves as a platform for fostering discussions at the intersection of technology and policy) in which Kayecee serves as a HarrisTech Board Member
• Data, Ethics, and Policy Organization (new organization within the Harris School of Public Policy) in which Kayecee played an integral role in the establishment of the organization that emphasizes the ethical implications of data usage

Our best wishes to Kayecee in this amazing journey she has started!