Seanna Mercado is a rising sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Computer Science and Philosophy (BS) with a minor in Global Markets & Society. Her background as an L.A.S. College VOICE leader and senior advisor at REACH Pathways has given her the skills to consider user experience, share feedback on new resources, and analyze real-time responses to predict how students may engage with different features. As she continues exploring what a long-term career in computer science could look like, she is especially interested in learning from a fast-changing industry where she can work across teams and engage with data, not just pure coding. She is passionate about the ethics of technology and its impact on the environment and society, and through this internship, looks forward to learning how investors balance market opportunity, sustainability, and long-term impact. She ultimately hopes to gain a deeper understanding of market research and how venture capital firms evaluate emerging technologies across industries.