Student Spotlight

Valkyrie Savage
Telamon scholarship recipient

Valkyrie Savage is on a constant quest for knowledge. Inspired by her father—who taught her how to make dodecahedrons out of PVC pipes as a young child—Savage has taken a creative approach to her academic career.

Savage, a senior from Columbus, Indiana, is the recipient of the IU School of Informatics’ Telamon scholarship. While just in her early 20s, Savage has lived, traveled, and studied throughout the United States, and all over the world. Her varied interests are reflected by what she’s studying at IU: a double major in computer science and math, and a double minor in Spanish and psychology.

“My computer science program helps fulfill my continued desire for learning and experiencing all that life has to offer,” said Savage. “The faculty not only knows me by name, but they are easygoing and allow me opportunities for growth, experimentation, and leadership.”

For example, as an undergraduate instructor, Savage has the opportunity to teach the “next generation” of computer science students, help to design labs, and offer input to professors in the development of courses and curricula.

Early on as a student in the School of Informatics, Savage landed an internship studying digital archives. Since then, she has completed a summer internship at Google, plans to do an internship in natural language processing in Germany, and is considering the opportunity to study in Korea.

The Telamon scholarship has allowed Savage to continue learning. Coming from a family of academics, she has always seen and believed in the importance of knowledge and experience, both in and out of the classroom. Savage’s scholarship continues to open doors for her as she pursues her ambitions to attend graduate school.

Other things to know about Valkyrie Savage:

• She regularly visits the site Woot.com.
• She maintains a list of things to do in her lifetime, including: running with the bulls in Spain, cooking a flambé, and making a dress.
• She wants to visit the Amazon Rainforest.
• Her first name “Valkyrie” comes from Norse mythology and the game Gauntlet.