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COMPUTER SCIENCE
Gina Bak

had already earned a
degree in applied linguistics and was working as a language assessor
when a Netflix documentary changed her life’s direction.
The True Cost, which examines the social and environmental
damage caused by the fashion industry, galvanized her to act. “I just
feel like it is my duty here on earth to do something about it, because
now that I know, I can’t go back,” says Bak, a vegan yogi.
She considered studying fashion design but decided instead to
enrol in Carleton’s Honours Computer Science program. “I will forever
be a fan of Carleton, especially the School of Computer Science. I am
really astounded by the staff and the faculty.”
Selected for a Dean’s Summer Research Internship, Bak was able
to examine ways to make the fashion industry’s supply chain more
transparent, using blockchain and other technologies. She is now
starting a Dev Degree Internship at Shopify, where she hopes to
enhance both her coding experience and her retail knowledge.
Bak is also keen to support women and visible minority coders. As
well as mentoring peers at the Science Student Success Centre, she Spotted at Shopify: Gina balances academics and
helped raise $12,000 through Carleton Women in Computer Science her passion for yoga
(WiCS) so members could attend the Grace Hopper Celebration, a
conference for women technologists.

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