Shad Alum shares how social good motivates her work in AI
Olivia Cao always aspired to contribute something meaningful to the world. Now as a software engineer helping to develop the latest in AI technology at Meta, she’s making a difference through her work on technological advances shaping the future.
She hadn’t always seen herself in the tech field. Inspired by the work of her grandmother as a doctor, Olivia always thought she’d follow in her footsteps and pursue a medical degree. But a summer at Shad in 2013 opened her eyes to the power of technology and engineering to create real impact, motivating her to change course to chart a path all her own.
“At Shad, I realized that I cared more about the impact and outcome versus what I did as an individual. If you’re a doctor, you’d be the individual responsible for helping people, which is amazing, but that felt limited to me. I thought if I could design something that would enable doctors to be faster so they could help more people, that would really scale the impact and that resonated with me.”
Working with other youth who shared her love of STEM and novel academic exploration provided Olivia an environment where she could experiment with new concepts and ways of approaching problem-solving using creativity and innovation. It instilled in her a mindset that continues to inform how she approaches challenges in work and life.
“I hadn’t met people who were such go-getters before Shad, I was really inspired by my peers in the program. I had these dreams when I got to Shad and the people really encouraged me to think a certain way, that the sky’s the limit when it comes to innovation and using that to have an impact.”
Motivated by her experience at Shad’s University of Saskatchewan campus, Olivia decided to pursue a degree in software engineering at the University of Waterloo (UW). She relished the idea of once again being surrounded by other forward-thinking students pursuing solutions to important technological and social challenges.
“I started my engineering degree at Waterloo during the first surge in AI development, so that was a big part of the discussion at the time. I was able to explore a bunch of new and innovative avenues in the tech world while finishing my degree, which allowed me a lot of insight into different career paths.”
Co-op is a big part of the Software Engineering program at UW and Olivia was able to explore a number of career options through internships with some of the world’s leading tech companies.
“I did six internships, and three or four of them were AI related. I played around with what I liked and continued to build my engineering skills. I even tried Product Management (PM) for an internship. I really recommend that people use internships to explore options because you discover a lot about your own interests and what you’re good at. I realized that I’m way better at engineering and that I didn’t want to be a PM.”
One of her last internships brought Olivia to Meta where she worked on software tools for Facebook. She loved the experience and went to work for them full time after graduating from UW. Because it’s a large, established company, Olivia has been able to explore opportunities and grow in her roles, building on her skills to make valuable contributions to product development. She loves being able to create solutions for everyday users who employ these software tools to make their lives easier and more efficient.
“AI tools are something that’s very useful, kind of like electricity. Most don’t really know how it works but use it every day in some way or another. I love being able to build things that help people in their every day lives to do the things they need to do and in ways they don’t have to really think about.”
Olivia also loves that Meta provides her the opportunity to mentor newcomers to the industry through initiatives that welcome and provide support to female employees through events that foster connection.
“Meta has been a really welcoming and supportive company, but I know the tech world doesn’t always feel that way for women. I definitely had those experiences of feeling out of place as a woman while I was in school, feeling like I didn’t belong, so I think it’s so important for women to support women in business generally to pay forward the supports I’ve been given along the way.”
Olivia’s belief in mentorship was influenced by an experience at Shad that still resonates with her today. Mentorship is a big part of the program, and one female entrepreneur who spoke at Shad while Olivia was there left a lasting impression.
“I don’t remember the mentor’s name after all this time, but I remember what she shared with us. She talked a lot about her experience as an entrepreneur and how people invested in her company because they believed in her and the mission she had. She made me realize that the idea didn’t have to be perfect, which was an awesome realization because as a young student you think it’s about the perfect idea. That really stuck with me because it lowered the barrier of entry to try for something you want, to just go for it.”
She has realized that having access to meaningful resources, like those at Shad, have really helped her on her journey, motivating her to want to continue to give back to those coming up behind her. The desire to have an impact that she discovered that summer at Shad is still front of mind as she continues along her career path.
“As I’ve worked more on AI applications and exploring how these tools can be used to make life and work activities easier and more efficient, I still have that desire to find a way to apply those lessons in healthcare in some way, to fill the gap for the needs of users and using tech to optimize people’s experience.”
She’s glad that programs like Shad are not only introducing students to the technology of tomorrow, but also to the skills and mindset necessary to use those tools to create impact and influence change.
“Shad definitely encouraged me to go down the right path and to forge my own way. The program challenged us to believe that we could solve big problems through ideation and just being creative, and that was really novel thinking for a lot of us. It’s really helpful for young people to feel empowered to see themselves as influential, and that lesson still resonates with me today.”
