A major in Computer Science was a natural choice for former Georgia Southern student Jacqueline Chambers. ‘‘You gotta pick a major for college,’’ her father told her. “I liked computer science okay, everything else was terrible,” she recounted over a Zoom with me.

Her experience in coding was next to none when she first started at Southern. “I didn’t understand any of it. I had peers who’d been doing Minecraft mods and all this cool stuff.”

“It was very exciting just getting these lines of code to respond to what you were doing.” she continued. “Over time, I found that I liked solving problems and debugging stuff.”

“It’s a very soft science really. It’s like how you do your writing,” she dove deeper into the learning process. “You know, how your paragraphs are structured, how your voice is, it’s the same thing with coding. You have to have things organized in a certain way.”

In 2019, Chambers was presented the opportunity to continue her education at Georgia Tech. “They have this thing called Computational Media as a major, which basically combines coding and the arts. I thought that was pretty darn cool,” she beamed.

Chambers had been making anime art for years. The major was the perfect amalgamation of her two most significant interests. However, joining this program would mean leaving behind the GSU community that she’d grown to be a big part of. “Georgia Tech students keep to themselves. Everybody’s so busy and they’re working.”

At the time, Chambers was a Peer Leader and an active student on campus. “I participated in Latin Rhythm and Dance Club and Video Game Club too,” she said. “I think the best moments were probably going to the RAC with friends and going to Tech Land.”

For current Computer Science Majors, Chambers advised that “if you want to get a job, get on Glassdoor and figure out what softwares and APIS that they’re using and learn that because your major isn’t going to teach you those particular softwares.”

Currently, Chambers runs an anime art account, Sally Trivone. She blends art with voiceovers wherein she provides nuggets of wisdom on anything from coding tidbits to registering an LLC.

Last year, she started Kute Code. The original goal was to avoid having her private information at risk of being shared on the internet. Instead of uploading her personal details on to unsecured sites like PayPal, she discovered an alternative.

“I found out you can get an EIN number, which is a business tax ID number and they will accept that instead,” she explained. “So that was the original reason, because I needed that EIN number which is dirt easy to get apparently.”

Once the business was already registered, Jacqueline decided to run with the idea. Kute Code offers services in coding and art design. “So you get the cute (art) and the cute code (nice looking websites and other products).”

Chambers’ next big project is a deck of candy-themed cards. The collection features a dreamy assortment that replaces the traditional suits with sweets and anime characters. Her goal is to launch a Kickstarter and have the cards out by the end of the year.

Chambers’ story is just one example of the many paths a Georgia Southern student can take.

For more information, advice, or assistance, students can reach Jacqueline at Kutecode.com or via Instagram @SallyTrivone