Howard University junior Evolone Layne was named one of Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year. Layne’s accomplishments in the STEM field led to the honor.
The nomination process included submitting a resume, a statement about a social issue she was passionate about and an interview to discuss her application.
“I am so happy that my hard work is being recognized, and I am happy to represent Howard University in Glamour Magazine,” Layne said. “It makes me want to keep pushing when things get difficult with my major.”
Layne shared that she has been working towards this accomplishment for several years. “I took a Girls Who Code course when I was in high school, and fell in love with the idea of coding,” she said. “When the time came to decide what I wanted to do with my future, I chose computer science because of all of the unexplored and limitless possibilities available to me in this major.” Since starting college, Layne has been making strides toward making a name for herself in the STEM world.
Now, aside from being a computer science major, she currently serves as president of an app in development for the Congresswomen of Delaware. Layne’s work on the app is also highlighted in the Glamour article. “The app started in Google Student Development Clubs (DSC), which I am now the president of. It was made to increase voter awareness in Black communities. As president, I plan to escalate this app and get it done as soon as we can.”
Layne previously interned at Apple on the Watch Frameworks team, researched with Carnegie Mellon as a Robotics Researcher and interned at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Reference Missions Systems Engineering intern.
Layne attended the Glamour Women of the Year ceremony on Nov. 1 in New York. “It was a really great experience,” she recalled. “I got to hear each woman of the year honoree talk passionately about what they do and the change they’re making.”
For Layne, there were many other highlights of the night. “We got to take pictures on the red carpet, and then we were served food before the live stream started. I was also able to meet Jennifer Hudson and Angela Bassett.”
After being awarded such a title, Layne hopes that other Black women can feel inspired by her work. “I hope Black women in STEM will work harder and never forget the end goal. I want people to love this major as much as I do,” Layne said.
Her advice to those with similar aspirations is simple. “Never forget the end goal and always encourage those around you.”
Copy edited to Jadyn Barnett
