Evelyn Brannen

When Evelyn Brannen selected where to go to college, she looked close to home. The Phoenix native decided to major in computer science in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University due to the variety of opportunities and resources available.

“I love being able to use my creativity,” Brannen says. “Computer science has been the perfect way to blend my interests with my passion for making things and solving problems.”

During her time in the Fulton Schools, she took advantage of a diverse selection of professional and networking opportunities to expand her engineering and technology horizons. 

Brannen was part of an entrepreneurial team competing for funding in business venture pitch competitions, including Tech Devils, Venture Devils and the Elite Pitch Competition organized by Engineering Projects in Community Service, or EPICS. She and her team created DocYou, a medical documentation mobile application, which began as a project for the ASU chapter of EPICS, a Fulton Schools organization where students help communities around the world. The project received $16,000 in venture funding through the events.

She also attended the 2023 Grace Hopper Celebration, a conference for women in the technology industry, and the 2024 Society of Women Engineers WE24: Together We Rise conference.

“I’m very passionate about promoting diversity in tech, and I’ve been on the executive board of Women in Computer Science, or WiCS, for over two years,” Brannen says. “WiCS is incredibly important to me because it supports minority students in technology and acts as an amazing support system for all students who want to feel welcomed within the community.”

She also gained hands-on experience through her two summer internships with AVEVA, an industrial software company, where she improved program reliability and efficiency.

After graduation, she will return to ASU to complete her master’s degree in computer science through the Accelerated Master’s degree program. After graduation, Brannen plans to enter industry as a software engineer and hopes to inspire other women in the field.

“Throughout my journey, I’ve witnessed firsthand how crucial representation is,” she says. “When I was a first-year student, seeing the success of people who started exactly where I was was incredibly motivating, and I hope to be that source of inspiration for other women pursuing computer science.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ fall 2024 class here.