Post-Traditional Inspiration: Danielle N. Cunes, BSIS ’25

I hope to become an inspiration for other women who may be struggling to see the end of the tech light. I want them to see that you can become successful and be respected as a woman in tech.

  
Danielle N. Cunes, a first-generation student, has called Tucson home for the past 30 years, though her roots trace back to El Paso, Texas. As a post-traditional student and mother of two daughters, she is navigating the demanding journey of earning a Bachelor of Science in Information Science with an emphasis in Data Science, along with minors in Mathematics and Spanish. Juggling coursework, family and professional development hasn’t been easy, but Danielle draws strength from a strong support network—and from her passion to pave the way for other women working in tech, proving that resilience and inspiration go hand in hand.

What brought you to the University of Arizona to study information science?

I was going to school at Pima Community College and taking my general education requirements so I could transfer to the U of A to study mechanical engineering. When I was in the process of transferring, I switched my major to computer science, which didn’t work out, so I switched to the Bachelor of Science in Information Science. 

Tell us about your BSIS emphasis area.

My emphasis is Data Science. I think what excites me the most about data science is using data to create visuals to help make predictions. Something else that excites me is the intersection of data science and artificial intelligence. I am very excited to take Intro to Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence classes in the spring semester to learn these concepts more in depth.

What do you like best about the Bachelor’s in Information Science?

I love the different topics of classes I can choose from and that I can take a lot of online classes. I have a very busy home life and being able to stay home makes it easier. I also really love the people. All the professors I’ve interacted with have been extremely helpful and encouraging. The student section leaders have also been very approachable and non-judgmental, which has made it easy to reach out for help.

Tell us about the challenges you’ve faced at U of A as a post-traditional student, and how you’ve overcome those challenges.

I feel like one of the biggest challenges I’ve had at the university has been imposter syndrome. I am a first-generation student, I have children, I am older, so sometimes it seems crazy for me to even be attempting to get a degree. I would question whether I should even be going to school. I had to remind myself that I am making the right decision, even if it’s difficult at this time. I deserve to be on this campus just as much as anyone else and I can make a difference!

Another big challenge has been finding that school and life balance. I have two daughters, one 14-year-old and one 14-month-old, so life at home can get pretty hectic, especially when trying to find the right times to study and when to shut all of that down. Sometimes I have to tell myself its okay to take a break and steal even just 20 minutes for myself so I can continue giving 100%. Having a great support system is essential when trying to find that balance. I am very fortunate to have that, which has helped me mostly figure out how to balance the two.
 

Tell us about your recent internship, as well as your career aspirations.

I just wrapped up a summer internship on campus with AI Core + Design Lab., a project of the Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight. It was such an amazing experience getting to work with such a diverse group of people. I learned about so many different topics in artificial intelligence and how to utilize some of them into different types of projects. It just really blew my mind how fast AI is moving and how we have so much to learn.

My career aspirations are to find a remote position that allows me to continue to use these AI topics and techniques in my future work. I hope to become an inspiration for other women who may be struggling to see the end of the tech light. I want them to see that you can become successful and be respected as a woman in tech.

You’ve been active in helping other first-generation students to graduate with a STEM major. Please share that experience.

I was involved in the Arizona’s Science, Engineering and Math Scholars (ASEMS) Program during the first year I transferred to the university. The program aims to help guide you towards graduation, which was extremely helpful for me since I am a first-generation student. The ASEMS program helped make decisions and navigate the education system tremendously. I loved the program so much that I became a peer mentor once my time with the program as a “guided” student ended, then after that I became a lead peer mentor. It was a great chance to be around like-minded people who were going through similar experiences. I met some amazing people through ASEMS who I still keep in contact with.

Outside of school, what are your passions?

I love spending time with my family, whether it’s a road trip, going to the zoo, going for a bike ride in the neighborhood or going to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. I also love cooking. I don’t have a specific cuisine that I prefer to cook. I love to switch it up and have different cuisines throughout the week. I used to love going to concerts. Maybe I can pick up on that when I’m not so busy, whenever that is!

What does the InfoSci experience mean for you?

The InfoSci experience means giving me the knowledge and skills to solve complex problems as well as showing me how to overcome challenges.

What advice do you have for prospective InfoSci students?

First, I would say: Welcome! Start your homework early, don’t be afraid to ask for help and just know you got this! There may be times when you want to quit, but take a deep breath because it’ll all work out in the end.
 

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