“Our initial plan was to have Tara speak to our club members only, but after speaking with her we realized that she has a message that all LA students might benefit from hearing,” says Women in STEAM Club Moderator Mrs. Anita Debarlaben. “Tara is an incredible, talented woman of color. She has shown a great deal of perseverance and faith as she gracefully sought out opportunities to help her determine the correct path to a career that satisfies her passion to make a difference.”

After graduating from Loyola Academy in 2009, Larrue earned her BS in environmental science at Northeastern University in Boston and her MS in computer science at the University of Maryland. She knows several computer science languages, including Java, JavaScript and Python, C++, and combines her passion for computer science and statistics to help solve problems that impact our lives. 

“Tara is a special speaker possessing all the qualities we admire,” adds Debarlaben. “She is an intelligent, outgoing, caring and talented young woman and the best part is, she is a Rambler!” 

Women in STEAM leadership members organized the Zoom presentation and moderated the discussion. They selected questions for Larrue from those submitted by students via Zoom’s chat function. Students listened intently as Larrue discussed her career path, lessons learned, and advice for those entering STEAM fields. 

To learn more about Tara and her work, visit http://taralarrue.com.