Hello, I’m Sara Avila 🙈

Welcome to my portfolio

Undergraduate Researcher | Software Engineer | Data Scientist

Junior at Creighton University studying Computer Science and Data Science, minoring in Spanish and Hispanic Studies

Work Experience

Aerostar International

Software Engineer Intern

(May 2025– July 2025)

Developed and deployed full-stack stratospheric balloon simulators using Vue.js, JavaScript, HTML, and Python, integrating backend simulation logic with scalable APIs and applying Git-based version control, debugging, and testing to ensure high-fidelity engineering performance.

Center for Advising Resources and Support

Data Intern

(Aug 2024 – Current)

Maintained and optimized Microsoft Access databases, automated queries and reporting workflows, and applied SQL, Excel, and statistical analysis to support data-driven decision-making and enhance institutional performance tracking.

iJay Apple Practicum

MacBook Technician

(Dec 2023 – Jan 2025)

Performed certified Apple hardware/software diagnostics and repairs, implemented system restorations, and leveraged data analytics and visualization to generate repair-program reports that improved efficiency and customer outcomes.

Sioux Falls School District

IT Services Intern

(May – Aug 2024)

Installed, configured, and maintained district-wide hardware, networking, and software systems, resolving performance issues and ensuring seamless technology integration through troubleshooting, inventory management, and device imaging.

Research Highlights

Personal Statement Chatbot (SCRIBE)

Jan 2025 – Present

Fine-tuned transformer system for evaluating medical school essays, providing rubric-based feedback. Presented at Creighton University Research Week (Best Undergraduate Humanities Poster Award), Nebraska Academy of Sciences 135th Annual Meeting, Rush University AI in Healthcare Education Symposium, and accepted as a poster at ICCV 2025 (Honolulu).

Personal Statement Chatbot

Masking Process: Cochlear Hair Cell Detection

Aug 2024 – Present

Engineered a deep learning system leveraging YOLOv11 and SAM2 for precise detection and segmentation of cochlear hair cells, advancing auditory-health imaging research. Presented at NeurIPS 2024 (poster), FICTA 2025 (London) (Best Paper Award, oral presentation), and NCUR 2025 (poster).

Cochlear Hair Cell Detection

Tracing Social Barriers in OSS

Jun 2025 – Present

Analyzing GitHub trace data to study responsiveness to newcomers and identify social barriers in open source communities. Ongoing work exploring socio-technical metrics and CHAOSS-informed analysis.

Open Source Research

Coming Soon

Personal projects are currently in progress. Stay tuned!

Hobbies!

Staying Active & Loving Anime

Outside of CS and DS, I enjoy weight-lifting and challenging myself. Recently, I have found a new passion for running— here’s a photo of my brothers and me after running the Lincoln, NE half marathon!

I also love anime! Some of my favorites include Jujutsu Kaisen, Cowboy Bebop, Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, and Tokyo Ghoul.

Contact Me!