Eva Snyder ’17
Name: Eva Snyder ’17
Hometown: South Hadley, Mass.
Major: music and computer science double major
Campus involvement: I am co-founder of HackHolyoke, an annual 24-hour hackathon at Mount Holyoke College, and a department liaison for both the computer science and music departments. Over my four years here I’ve been a member of the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra and the V8s a cappella group. For multiple semesters I’ve been a teacher's assistant for iDesign Studio, a wearable-electronics course offered by the computer science department. And I’ve played in numerous musical performances.
Proudest accomplishment at MHC: My first album. For my senior thesis I’ve spent the past year putting together the workings of a professional recording to kick-start my music career. I’ve been a songwriter for many years and I’ve been playing music since I was three years old, when I started learning how to play the violin. During my senior year, Mount Holyoke allowed me to team up with experienced professors who helped me build a brand for myself. I simultaneously worked on my entrepreneurial skills as I learned more about the music industry and about myself as a writer. During spring break I traveled down to Nashville to professionally record my music. Debuting “Balance,” my EP, for the Mount Holyoke community at my senior recital — on Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m., in McCulloch Auditorium — is the culmination of my music major. Now I’ve just got to get it out there!
Favorite course you thought you might not like: Music 371, Shakespeare in Music to 1800. I’m not and never have been a Shakespeare fanatic or history buff. However, the course was performance-based and provided many learning opportunities I never would have gotten otherwise. The class put together a complete concert with music, dance and theater for the Mount Holyoke community. In my entire four years, this course was easily one of my favorites.
Best takeaway from internship or research experiences: Just go for it. I’ve interned for Google twice as a software engineer — once at Google headquarters and once with YouTube — and if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that. Talk to who you want to talk to and email who you want to email. Through taking chances and going out on a limb, I got to speak to recording artists at YouTube and executives at Google and to make incredible memories and connections.
Future plans: I’ll be moving to San Francisco to work full time as a software engineer at YouTube while pursuing my music career on the side.