Xandra McCoy

"That might be the most important thing to understand about humans. It's the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching, not just for answers to our questions, but for new questions." - Sisko

Xandra McCoy is from Ashburn, Virginia, and is a first-year in Computer Science with a 4.0 GPA. She says the best thing about being a Virginia Tech engineer is getting to interact with and learn from so many knowledgeable professors and faculty. When she was in middle school, she dreamed about being an aerospace engineer. Now that she is at Virginia Tech, she would like to employ herself with a software project that she creates from scratch. Xandra says if she could change one thing, she should go back in time and nip COVID before it starts.

Before Virginia Tech, Xandra participated in several of the pipeline programs run by CEED. She says they built her confidence in pursuing Computer Science and led her to choose Virginia Tech. She volunteers by canvassing during election times in support of Gun Sense Candidates with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. She’s volunteered with some of the very same pipeline programs she came through in high school while at VT.

Xandra shared that her role model is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She expresses how she looked up to all of her contributions in advancing women’s rights. Xandra has one sister and mentioned that while growing up her favorite cartoon character was Danny Phantom. Xandra loves loves practicing Tae Kwon Do, and her favorite movie is Disney’s Mulan (the original).