In her sophomore year at Boston University, Grace Van Sciver (CAS’24) joined the women’s club water polo team, where she has found her community after starting her degree during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally from Chatham, New Jersey, Van Sciver has gotten involved on campus and in numerous ways, including women’s club water polo, Girls Who Code, and landing internships with Chubb, an insurance company, and Epsilon, a company that offers technology solutions and services to marketers.
Following graduation, Van Sciver is staying in Boston to work in technology consulting, combining her skills in technology and business. She is excited to stay in the city post-grad, along with many of her friends.
Arts & Sciences caught up with Van Sciver who is studying computer science and business administration.
Interview responses have been edited for clarity.
Arts & Sciences: What first got you interested in computer science?
Van Sciver: I really liked solving puzzles as a kid and computer science is like that but in the real world. It’s also pretty open-ended. Computer science is used in a lot of industries. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I figured that this was a good start.
What do you do in your role as Sports Information Director of the water polo team?
As SID for club water polo, I am in charge of the marketing and social media accounts that update our supporters on our team’s activities and results of our games and tournaments. It also helps us reach new members and gain new donors for our club. I also coordinate our Giving Day campaign which is a super important fundraiser where proceeds go to things like travel expenses, new equipment, and everything that allows our club to be successful. Lastly, I plan and head our social events outside of the pool which is a large part of what makes our team so close-knit and makes club water polo a social experience at BU in addition to an amazing sports team.
Would you recommend students get involved in club athletics?
Yes! Getting involved in club sports was probably the best thing that I have done in my four years at BU. It gives you a community. I was coming out of the class where COVID was still a thing, so I was looking for friends, and joining club sports really helped me find my community. It gave me something to do with built-in exercise, it’s been great.
Can you talk about your internships with Chubb and Epsilon?
In my internships with Chubb and Epsilon, I had the great opportunity to explore various aspects of the computer science world including working on a new AI bot for Chubb to handle internal technology questions and problems. At Epsilon I was able to try my hand at big data problems and utilize data science to drive business solutions. They were both amazing experiences where I was able to learn both what I was interested in and what I wasn’t, and they helped me land the full-time job that I will start after graduation.
How did you get involved with Girls Who Code?
I founded a Girls Who Code Chapter at my high school which saw female enrollment in computer science classes increase by 150% in the two years after I graduated, so it was natural to join BU’s chapter of Girls Who Code upon my arrival here. The BU Girls Who Code club offers coding seminars for all skill levels to help non-CS majors gain some valuable technical knowledge, as well as resume and networking workshops, and professional speaker nights, to help women succeed in the tech industry. They also have a youth program in which members teach elementary to middle school age students in the greater Boston area coding skills and languages to help grow and encourage the new generation of girls in STEM.
What has been your favorite memory from your time at BU?
One of my favorite memories was this past year was the first time the Women’s Beanpot was being played at TD Garden. My roommate from freshman year and I got picked to do the sled race and we won. It was like a bookend of meeting my roommate freshman year randomly to us winning the sled race at TD Garden. There’s a bunch of pictures, it was really funny. That’s definitely a memory I will have forever and that I’ll tell my kids about.
Interview by Shelby Rose Long (COM’27)