Hana Gabrielle Rubio Bidon (she/her)

Hana Gabrielle Bidon is a sophomore at Cornell University, intending to major in Information Science, Systems, and Technology. One day, she decided to attend an event about data science and she immediately fell in love with the field, as it utilized both mathematics and computer science skills. Though she has yet to decide which career path she wants to dive deeper into, she’s considering business analytics, data analytics, data science, and data engineering.

Outside of academics, Hana is heavily involved with Cornell Minds Matter, which is a mental health organization that strives to promote the overall well being of Cornellians. She’s part of the organization’s policy team, in which she’s leading an initiative to create a Mental Health 101 presentation for freshman orientation. Through her work with Cornell Minds Matter, she’s actively advocating for mental health and interested in the intersection of technology and mental health.

Furthermore, Hana is an active member of Women in Computing at Cornell. Since discovering her passion for computing in her first CS class, she felt intimidated by the fact that many of her peers had been coding since high school. Fortunately, she’s found a community of other women in computing fields, with whom she bonds by participating in networking events, social events, and volunteering for the Girls Who Code program.

In addition to these extracurricular activities, she is a Crisis Counselor at the Crisis Text Line. Applying her personal experiences with mental health challenges, including dealing with panic attacks and suicidal thoughts, along with rigorous training, Hana is able to help others who are in crisis and in extreme emotional and behavioral stress.

What’s something you’re really proud of?

In January 2018, after having been hospitalized twice and having been in a toxic relationship, I took care of my mental health by taking a two-semester leave of absence from Cornell. Though it was an impulsive decision, I’m glad that I took that time off from school to focus on my mental health issues and got the right care for myself from both a therapist and a psychiatrist. Though I am no longer working with them, it’s great to know that I’m able to apply what I learned from those therapy sessions to my current life as a Cornell student.

What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you handle it?

Adjusting back to life as a Cornell student after my mental health leave has been challenging. Taking a leave of absence was disorienting. I lost much of my friend circle during that time and had trouble making new friends through my classes and clubs. As an autistic person, it’s difficult for me to maintain friendships and socially interacting with my peers and my professors does not come easily.

So far, I’ve been working through this challenge by actively meeting new people, joining a mentorship circle for Women in Computing at Cornell, and by chatting with other members of Cornell Minds Matter. I’ve also started to have lunch every Thursday with one of my professors. Overall, it’s a work in progress but I’m slowly adjusting back to Cornell beautifully by using my resources, talking to my advisors, and connecting with both new and old friends.