My name is Rebecca Mckeever. This week I began my Outreachy internship working on the Extend memblock simulator project for the Linux kernel. Next week I will graduate with a BS in Computer Science from Oregon State University. I am in an online program for people who already have a bachelor’s degree, so I actually live in Texas. My first degree is a BS in Chemical Engineering. I want to continue my education in an MS Computer Science program. I plan to start applying to programs soon and start a program at the beginning of 2023.

My core values are determination and integrity. When I decide to do a task, I am determined to complete it. When I encounter problems, I try to work through them; I don’t give up easily. I value integrity because I always strive to have consistency between my actions and my beliefs and ethical principles.

There are two main reasons I decided to apply to Outreachy.

  1. Since I already had a bachelor’s degree, my program at OSU has only lasted 1.5 years. I didn’t take advantage of the one summer during that time to get an internship. Without internship experience, I would be less likely to be accepted if I applied to full time jobs; I might have to accept a less-than-ideal job, such as at a company that doesn’t share my values. Most internship programs require that you have at least one term left after the internship, but Outreachy doesn’t. After the Outreachy internship, I will have a better chance of getting a job related to things that interest me, such as C/C++, Linux kernel development, open source development, and operating systems.

  2. Also, I wanted to contribute to open source projects, but I was having trouble getting started on my own. I would read through the documentation for open source projects but then feel too intimidated to get involved.