Whether he\u2019s writing code or leading the Black Student Union, Jalen Paige \u201926 has one goal: help people. That\u2019s been true since he was nine years old, when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and received his first insulin pump. It was an experience that gave him his first real look at how a single device could improve someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an awesome piece of technology because it prevents me from having to take so many shots and has really made my life as a Type 1 diabetic much more manageable,\u201d says Paige. \u201cThat inspired me because I saw that technology has the potential to make someone\u2019s life easier and really help people with certain disabilities live more comfortable, easy lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he arrived at Santa Clara University, the computer science major took core classes in social justice and ethics alongside his engineering coursework, which challenged him to think about how to innovate for good, rather than simply for innovation\u2019s sake. He put this thinking into practice at Meta where he\u2019s interned on the software development team for the last two summers, helping build accessible geographical features for Facebook and Instagram users. Paige even built a website that uses data from his glucose monitor to help optimize his own insulin dosing, a personal project he plans to continue developing as he pursues a career in Silicon Valley after graduation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see a lot of technology nowadays that isn\u2019t geared at helping people,\u201d says Paige. \u201cIt is especially important, now more than ever, to consider the moral weight of the technology we create and really ask ourselves what we hope to gain, whether that be profit or actually benefitting people in ways that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n