Ruby Flanagan, BS May 2026
Ever since she took her first computer science class at Wake Forest, Ruby Flanagan knew that the major was the right path for her. Having previously excelled in other computer science and math classes in high school, Flanagan understood both the challenges and rewards that would come with obtaining this degree, but she was certainly up for the task.
“I knew I had an interest in [computer science] coming into Wake Forest,” Flanagan said. “I took a class in high school and thought it was interesting, so I took another class at my local community college.”
Her first exposure to the department came in her freshman year, when she took an introduction class with Dr. Natalia Khuri, a professor she would go on to do research with as an upperclassman.
“I had a really good experience in my 111 class,” Flanagan said. “The first project I worked on was with her. She just made everything really interesting and had a good combination of having very high expectations and a willingness to help people.”
She continued: “I kind of liked the level of expectation there is in the department. [The professors] do expect you to do well and to put a lot of work into things, but everybody wants to help you with that.”
For Flanagan, having a good relationship with her professors was the most vital aspect of succeeding within the department. Rather than focusing solely on the work at hand, Flanagan always made a concerted effort to familiarize herself with the people who helped her the most.
“The thing that I’ve loved most about my time in the computer science program is that I do feel like I can have genuine conversations with my professors,” Flanagan said. “They’re very normal and real people. It’s easier to do well in a class when you actually care about the person who is teaching it.”
Flagan realized that she was also interested in helping her peers succeed. By becoming a teaching assistant, she has been able to assist those in need in the areas in which she excels, particularly numerical linear algebra. Flanagan regularly spends her time in the computer science building helping other students with a variety of tasks, including homework assignments and labs.
“I really like being involved more in the department,” she said. “[Before becoming a teaching assistant], I felt like I had been in the department for a while but wasn’t doing anything with it, at least nothing with the social side of the department. And being a teaching assistant felt like that. It’s just really satisfying to help.”
Flanagan plans on enrolling in graduate school “at some point.” She believes that she will benefit from further immersion in the world of data analytics in technology.
“I would like to work in financial technology, because a lot of the work I’ve done revolves around data,” she explained. “A lot of fintech is data analyzing, which I think would be really interesting.”
While the journey ahead is still filled with possibilities, there is no doubt that Flanagan’s future in the data analytics and computer science field is immensely bright. For the time being, though, she plans on working tirelessly within the subject she fell in love with as a freshman at Wake Forest University.