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Elena Escalas

30,873
UCLA Undergraduates
3,627
Engineers
12
Student-Athlete Engineers
1
Computer Science Student-Athlete

About Me

        Hi! My name is Elena Escalas and I am a Software Engineer at Google. In 2020, I completed my B.S. Degree in Computer Science at UCLA. At UCLA, I was a member of the UCLA Varsity Swim and Dive team. In my last year at UCLA, I was also president of ACM ICPC and the Bruin Athletic Council. Through my club participation, as well as my leadership in the Learning Assistant program at UCLA, I was a recipient of the Engineering Achievement Award for Student Welfare. After interning at Intel, Microsoft, and Amazon, I started a full-time role at Google on the Android TV team!

Experience


Software Engineering

Full-Time Job

Google

Mountain View, CA

August 2020 - Present

Full-Time Software Engineer at Google

Incoming Software Engineer working on Android TV

Internship

Amazon A9

Palo Alto, CA

June 2019 - Sept 2019

Software Engineering Intern for Amazon

Designed a new structure for high impact metadata and wrote Python scripts that converted the newly structured metadata into it's previous form. The goal of this new structure was to decrease the tendency towards merge conflicts for over 100 engineers modifying the metadata annually. I added the Python scripts within an existing code base and properly tested the validity of the converted metadata by using existing unit tests and creating my own. I worked with my Senior Software Developer mentor to improve my code in order to be reviewed by Principal Engineers and added to the code base.

Internship

Microsoft

Seattle, WA

June 2018 - Sept 2018

Software Engineering Intern for Microsoft

Spearheaded a proof of concept team focused on finding business insights by converting data on individuals into a graph form. Tested multiple tools, including CosmosDB and Gephi, before deciding to use the industry leader in graph visualizations: Neo4j for the graph analysis. Found high impact business insights in relation to recommending Microsoft marketing events for individuals as well as determining the success of events in motivating individuals to participate in other Microsoft marketing activities. Achieved my stretch goal of achieving expert proficiency in Pluralsight Scrum Master training, as well as acting as Scrum Master for my team.

Internship

Intel

Austin, TX

June 2017 - Sept 2017

Software Engineering Intern for Intel

Created an HTML5 GUI using Polymer Webcomponents and a Node.js webserver from scratch to create XML files used to customize the health analyses performed by the Intel Cluster Checker. I received recognition for my intern project presentation from upper management and for providing valuable contributions to the Cluster Checker team. With my internship ending later than the majority of students attending schools on the semester system, I presented much earlier than the end of my internship, and was able to incorporate the work of one of the phD interns into my project to add the capability of generating CLIPS rules with my GUI.

Internship

AgonSportLLC

Nashville, TN

June 2016 - August 2016

Software Development Intern for AgonSportLLC

I programmed an svg parsing software for client agreements in .NET C#, allowing sales representatives to upload custom designs without having inconsistent descriptions of swimsuit fabric, lining, or strap color.


Teaching

Internship

Edlyft

Los Angeles, CA

March 2020 - June 2020

Edlyft Mentor

  • Underwent inclusivity training during intern onboarding sessions.
  • Led homework walkthroughs and unblocking sessions three times a week for UCLA students introductory computer science courses.
  • Led content review sessions for an interview preparation workshop over the summer.

Part-Time Job

UCLA Athletics

Los Angeles, CA

Sept 2018 - December 2019

Peer Learning Facilitator for UCLA Athletics

Tutoring other Student-Athletes. Dedicating a minimum of 6 hours per week of tutoring or tutoring preparation to help Student-Athletes develop the skills necessary to learn and succeed on their own. I wanted to become a tutor for student-athletes becuse I noticed as I was tutored myself that there was a low supply of tutors available to tutor mathematics classes. My goal as a PLF is to get more student-athletes into STEM by helping them pass lower-division math classes and gain confidence in their ability to learn and challenge themselves.

Education


University School of Nashville

Nashville, TN

August 2010 - May 2015

High School

Graduated Cum Laude with a 3.97 unweighted GPA. Received AP Scholar status with Distinction, National Merit Hispanic Recognition, and Academic Honors in Science and Mathematics. My senior year, I was awarded with the Faculty Award, which is given to the student in the senior class who has exhibited a passion for learning evident to the faculty. I also received the Tiger of the Year Award, which is awarded to the student with the most athletic success in the class, and finished my senior year with USA Scholastic All-American distinction for three years out of three years eligibility for the distinction


UCLA

Los Angeles, CA

Sept 2015 - June 2020

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Cumulative GPA: 3.656

Technical Breadth in Urban Planning


Awards and Honors

UCLA School of Engineering

2020

Engineering Achievement Award for Student Welfare

Awarded to undergraduate and graduate engineering students who have made outstanding contributions to student welfare through participation in extracurricular activities and who have given outstanding service to the campus community.

Class of 2020 Commencement Awards

Facebook

2019

Grace Hopper Scholarship Recipient

One of 50 students selected to receive a scholarship to attend the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Technology.

UCLA Athletic Department

2019

Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Award

Award given to student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade point average or higher every quarter as an undergraduate

UCLA Scholar-Athlete Banquet Award Recipients

PAC-12 Conference

2019

All-Academic Second Team Member

Award given to the student-athletes with the top 48 highest GPAs among female swimmers competing in the PAC-12 Conference

Pac-12 All-Academic Team Honorees

UCLA Swim & Dive

2019

Bruin Pride Award

Award voted by teammates to the athlete who most selflessly displays the highest levels of character and integrity in the spirit of helping the team

Academic Excellence Award

Awarded to the junior or senior class member who holds the highest cumulative grade point average on the team.


Extra Curricular Activities

ACM ICPC at UCLA

Competitive Programming Club

Los Angeles, CA

April 2019 - June 2020

Officer

  • Partnered with ACM-W for the first time ever to host a technical interview preparation workshop to prepare for interviews and the career fair at the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing
  • Led Interview Preparation Bootcamp sessions to help students review for technical interviews during recruiting season

President

  • Led weekly CS 32 Technical Interview Preparation workshops for students currently enrolled in CS 32 to double as review for the course as well as an introduction to how concepts from the course tie into technical interview problems.
  • Organized and planned CodeSprintLA, a beginner-friendly competitive programming competition. Opened the virtual event to participants outside of UCLA to promote competitive programming.
  • Started a UCLA ACM weekly virtual book club during the Pandemic to help foster a sense of community while reading and discussing Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset.
  • Helped organize and plan UCLA ACM Onboarding Day in which I presented to 80+ incoming and returning ACM Officers on Implicit Bias and the effects of Microaggressions on minorities in the STEM community.
  • Hosted free mock technical interview phone screens for students via CoderPad during the Pandemic to help students have a gentle introduction to technical interviews by interviewing with a peer with questions pertaining to topics learned in school.

UCLA Learning Assistant Program

Los Angeles, CA

January 2020 - June 2020

Learning Assistant (CS 31)

  • Worked with students in preliminary Computer Science classes to help foster collaboration in discussion sections and office hours.
  • Attended weekly pedagogy seminars to learn inclusive teaching practices, and improved teaching skills through analysis of student and peer feedback evaluations
  • Communicated student sentiments to administrators and professors in order to provide them with the necessary resources to succeed in the course.

Pedagogy Head Learning Assistant (CS 32)

  • Worked as a learning assistant for the course as well as a leader for other learning assistants in the course.
  • Observed and mentored fellow learning assistants to provide them with feedback on how to improve.
  • Led weekly content course meetings for CS 32 learning assistants.

UCLA Swimming

Los Angeles, CA

May 2018 - June 2019

UCLA Varsity Women's Swimming Co-Captain

  • Organized team building activities during preseason training for more than 40 athletes.
  • Managed the team budget and team fund to be used for team-bonding activities such as pre-meet team dinners and team outings.
  • Exhibited leadership in developing a positive team culture.

Bruin Athletic Council

Los Angeles, CA

Fall 2017 - June 2020

Swim Team Representative

  • Led a subcommittee to plan and organize a student-athlete dodgeball tournament to collect donations for the UCLA Food Closet.

Co-Chair

  • Represented student-athletes to push for more flexibility in major selection, reduced time demands for student-athletes, and greater rights for student athletes’ name, image, and likeness.
  • Worked with peers to put on virtual webinars with professionals in the technology industry to introduce student-athletes to potential job opportunities.
  • Worked with the athletic director to provide transparency with the student-athlete community when it comes to legislation regarding student-athlete name, image, and likeness.

UCLA Representative at the PAC-12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Meeting

  • Helped represent student-athletes navigating the effects of the Pandemic.
  • Worked with student-athlete representatives from other PAC-12 institutions to revive a sense of community with online competitions and socials to boost morale amongst student-athletes.
  • Discussed legislation concerning changes in academic and athletic eligibility as a result of the cancellation of NCAA competitions and seasons due to the Pandemic.

UCLA ACM-W

Los Angeles, CA

Sept 2018 - June 2019

ACM-W Mentor

Act as a mentor to a small group of female first-year students in computer science by sharing personal experiences and lessons learned so they can make the most out of their time at UCLA and receive advice and support when needed.

Contact Me