Meet junior Darina Koedjikova: computer scientist, piano player, scuba diver, and mountain climber.

Scarlet Gitelson (SG): Who most inspires you?

Darina Koedjikova (DK): I feel like my mom inspires me the most because she works so hard for me. I think both my parents, because my dad works so hard to provide. And then also, if I have a question on maths or something, he helps me. But then also, my mom is always there for me. And I think just the idea that I want to do well for them—that kind of inspires me to do better.

SG: What is the area in which you’re most interested in school?

DK: I would say STEM, so computer science, math.

SG: What’s your favorite part of that? Why do you enjoy it?

DK: I like it because there’s straightforward answers, and it’s not just winding—there’s only one right answer. And specifically computer science because it’s very relevant in today’s world, and you can do so many things with it. Because I think, math, you can do a lot, but then computer science, you make code, and I find that really interesting.

SG: What is the coolest CS problem you’ve ever solved?

DK: I did a summer course, and we were doing a language learning model, and basically working with data sets and trying to make AI that was kind of looking at those data sets and then teaching AI.

SG: Do you have any pets?

DK: Nope. I’m actually scared of dogs.

SG: What has been the funnest moment of this year so far?

DK: I think spending time with my friends and also spending time with my family whenever I can between school.

SG: What are you most interested in outside of school?

DK: That’s a lot of things. I love trying new things. I love playing the piano. And then I also like doing things that kind of scare me a little bit. I’m scared of the deep, but then I got my scuba diving license. And then I’m kind of, not scared of heights, but I’m just scared of being in positions where I could get hurt. But then this summer, I climbed Mont Blanc, which is a mountain in France. It was just like putting myself in situations where I’m uncomfortable, but then also learning from the situation.

SG: What is the moment where you felt the most brave?

DK: Probably when I was climbing Mont Blanc because not only was it really tall [and] really high, I also had high altitude sickness, so I felt nauseous the whole time. I really wanted to turn around, but I really showed myself that I was being brave and persevering.

SG: What’s your favorite place in Chicago?

DK: I love the lake and going for runs on the lake.