Chloe Israel, Goodnight Scholar Class of 2026, has been involved in many extracurricular activities during her first year at NC State. Read on to learn about them, and her experiences thus far in the Goodnight Scholars Program.
Tell us about yourself!
I’m a Computer Science major with an intended minor in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) in the Class of 2026. I enjoy reading, playing video games, and working out/being active. I just recently got into rock climbing at Carmichael. My favorite genres are sci-fi and fantasy. My favorite (mythical) animal is a dragon, mostly because I just think they’re cool. My favorite color is purple because it was traditionally the color royalty used (and I think it’s pretty). I really love space and joined the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDs) club to learn more and do cool projects related to space and space exploration.
Do you have any extracurriculars you would like to discuss?
Besides SEDs, I’m also involved in Women in Computer Science (WiCS). I also started going to the App Development club this semester to learn more about what it takes to create an app, since it’s not something I’ve explored before.
What are some of your favorite aspects of the Goodnight Scholars program? Any favorite memories that come to mind?
My favorite part of the program is definitely the community. Coming to State, I was most worried about making friends and finding a good group of people to hang out with. GSP has helped me meet tons of amazing people and make great friends. I also love all the fun events that I can do with Goodnight. Some of my favorite memories are doing the socials with my class, like rock climbing or watching movies in the lounge. One of the programs I went to was Shangela’s drag show at Duke Energy Center, which was really fun! I had never gone to a drag show before, but have always wanted to. I really liked being able to have that new experience.
How have you been able to connect your racial and ethnic background to your major and involvement at NC State?
It has been difficult to connect my background to my major. Computer science is a pretty white-dominated major, so there aren’t many people who look like me. Whenever I do, I make sure to talk with them and get their contact information, because I think it’s important to have a network of people similar to you. Goodnight has definitely helped me connect with other black people in the program. The affinity group gatherings have been really fun and helped me meet more people.
What are your future career and life goals? Do these goals connect to your racial and ethnic background?
Ideally, my future career would be related to space and furthering space exploration. It’s something I think is really interesting and would love my career to be something I enjoy. Really, my goal for my career is for it to be enjoyable. That way, work won’t really feel like work. At the same time, I want to make sure I’m financially stable. With my career being related to Computer Science, I think it could be difficult to initially get into the field. Black people and especially black women are historically underrepresented in the field. It’s definitely gotten better recently, but it’s still a real obstacle. That’s something I want to overcome.
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