That decision changed my life. In the class, I found a tool I could use to create the worlds I had written about as a science fiction writer. I discovered that with computer science, I can create apps that make people healthier, programs to help the visually impaired see, and people who are deaf hear. I learned how math, a subject I once despised, can be used to build tools to predict the spread of diseases and model how everything in this world works. In the span of two years, I did everything I could to rewire my brain. I spent weekends teaching myself new skills, going to hackathons and diving in head first to catch up. I became a computer scientist through internships at Facebook, working with startups, and doing research at labs at MIT. I became an engineer through late nights with friends, managers who helped me find my voice, and rejections from many, many scholarships and internships.