Meet The Team: Elaine Nelson, Full Stack Development Intern

Tell us a little about yourself, Elaine!

I grew up in a small town called Parbatipur, which is located in northern Bangladesh. Both my parents worked at an international NGO there called LAMB, where I lived on campus with them and my younger sister for 17 years.

Growing up in rural Bangladesh, here are a few things I’ve been chased by:

• Cows
• Sheep 
• Swans (terrifying)
• Hens (apparently trying to pet a chick is not a good idea?) 
• Snakes (while swimming in LAMB’s pond)

This year I’m on a mission to finish all of Brandon Sanderson's published fantasy novels. Wish me luck because I’m already slacking! 

‍How did you first get into software development?

I think up until I started my computer science degree at MUNL, getting into software development hadn’t even crossed my mind. To be completely honest, I despised programming in my first year. My brain had been fixated on studying architectural design ever since I knew how to answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As I progressed further into my degree I realized that programming is actually quite fun. In 2019 I started doing some front-end projects outside of school, which scratched the creative itch. Then in early 2021 I took a machine learning course that really sparked my interest in data science and all that jazz!

Why did you first join CoLab? What’s the most exciting thing about working here?

In summer 2021, when I was doing my research before applying to work term positions, I stumbled upon CoLab’s ‘Meet The Team’ page. I thought the whole idea behind the page had a very personal touch. Then I had literally the best interview ever with Steph, Liam, and Clinton. They were super welcoming, and my nervousness just died down. I’d never felt this way during an interview! 

Aside from the fact that we’re building the coolest features, I think the most exciting part about working at CoLab is the people. Everyone is super supportive and always here to help each other learn and grow. There’s no such thing as a dumb question! I’m a fairly introverted person, but CoLab brings out the extrovert in me.

‍If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

• I think everybody already knows this answer, but—probably any device that lets me store and read books, with a pretty decent battery life. 
• Cats. Could be one. Could be ten. (*whispers* could be a hundred)