Hey there! My name's Mona and I'm currently a Masters student at the University of Pennsylvania working towards a MSE in Robotics. I completed my BSE in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science from Penn in May 2021.

I started dabbling in tech in late middle/early high school and took my first Python programming course in eighth grade, later becoming a research intern at the National Institute of Standards and Technology performing data analysis and data visualization in Python. I came to college and declared Mechanical Engineering (MEAM) after taking the introductory physics and manufacturing classes, but wanted to continue to develop my software skills and started the CS Intro sequence.

My sophomore summer, I decided to try my hands at developing software for physical systems and programmed a robot to maneuver in a life-like fashion in coordination with music for a Design professor at Penn. From this project, I learned C and honed my Arduino skills, interacted with other students in computer science and electrical engineering, and discovered my passion for robotics. My junior summer, I worked at General Motors as a Controls Engineering Intern, developing a vehicle application and performing data processing for the Core Tools and Automation group. I learned a lot about vehicle manufacturing, building scalable applications, and working in a remote environment!

I'm also extremely passionate about social justice issues and make sure to live my life mindfully, contributing towards creating a more sustainable society. I've served as the News Photo Editor and a senior photographer for the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's student-run newspaper, believing in the importance of independent journalism and telling people's stories. I've also been the Public Relations chair for Penn's pre-professional environmental fraternity, Epsilon Eta, bringing together many of the sustainability groups at Penn and creating a more open sustainability community for people at Penn to contribute.

In my free time, I love traveling, making crafts of all kinds, and watching documentaries. Feel free to reach me at monalee@seas.upenn.edu or connect with me on linkedin .