Sara is dedicated to serving as an example for others who believe they cannot succeed in college.

Sara Haycox is earning her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering.  After an interruption in her education, Sara returned to her studies to complete an associate’s degree at Washtenaw Community College before transferring to the University of Michigan. Sara is a first-generation college student, and her successful pursuit of her educational goals in STEM testifies to her resilience.

Sara is committed to helping others through engineering solutions, especially in embedded systems and hardware development. She gained valuable professional experience as a data science intern at DryVIQ, where she researched new methods for collecting data to help computers recognize images. During her internship, she helped to improve computer model performance by approximately 30%. Her diverse work experience before returning to higher education includes roles in healthcare support at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and logistics coordination at Amazon. Her technical skills span multiple programming languages and complex system design, as demonstrated through projects including the development of a robotic ping-pong target practice system, the design of a four-function calculator, and computer programs that simulate complex processor functions. Sara has also applied machine learning techniques to analyze classroom discussions and developed creative solutions for image processing and game development.

As a woman in STEM, Sara is dedicated to serving as an example for others who believe they cannot succeed in college. She envisions combining her desire to help people with her technical skills by developing computer systems that directly improve quality of life and solve real-world problems. Her vision of success centers on creating a life she is genuinely happy with, defined by her contributions and capabilities in the field of computer engineering.

CEW+ celebrates Sara’s belief in herself and names her an Everett Ireland Scholar.