margarita parra
Maggie
Researcher
Hey, 👋 I’m a Symbolic Systems student researcher
and founder based in 📍Palo Alto.
Maggie
Researcher
Hey, 👋 I’m a Symbolic Systems student researcher
and founder based in 📍Palo Alto.
Click to select
I am completing a selective STEM transfer and career development program at Stanford University. I will work directly alongside Stanford scientists and postdoctoral researchers in specialized mentorship cohorts to refine my academic trajectory. I plan to leverage individualized feedback sessions and exclusive unrecorded admissions panels that reveal private strategies hidden from the general public. This direct collaboration with Stanford itself will meticulously prepare me for my transfer to Stanford in 2027.
I built a social platform that gained 1,000+ verified Stanford users in one month purely through word of mouth with zero ad/flyer spend. In my nonprofit, I analyze student interactions to build features that maximize in-person connections. I also partnered with Yummy Future, a YC-backed cafe on University Ave, to give matches a safe physical space to meet up.
tryfrienddrop.com
I won the Ecopreneurship Prize at TreeHacks 2026 for building ZoneZero.AI. Using the Google Earth and Google Maps APIs, I built an app that allows homeowners to take a photo of their house so AI can instantly generate a report highlighting property violations against the official California Zone Zero wildfire safety laws.
I won the xAI Hackathon for building Watchdogs, a real-time surveillance platform. Using the X API, I built a system that tracks and analyzes posts on Twitter to instantly report on localized dangers and active safety hazards nearby.
@xAI featuring WatchDogs
I built a data visualization dashboard from scratch for the OpenPATH project using Python and JavaScript. I built the complete data pipeline from database connection to final display, creating statistical donut charts and user behavior metrics used today by OpenPATH researchers to decide the app's design.
Orcid ID
I worked as a Research Assistant for two full quarters across two major studies. With Maneeza Dawood, I analyzed racial representation for the Race on TV project. With Amrita Maitreyi, I conducted qualitative coding on Fortune 500 company statements regarding George Floyd. Throughout these projects, I learned many research methodologies including R for statistical computing to assist with data analysis.
Living and working directly on campus in a row house allowed me to fully immerse myself in directing programming and robotics courses for students ages 7 to 17. I managed the classroom environment and handled safety protocols alongside daily administrative demands. I mentored students individually and earned qualifications to teach over thirteen different technical courses. I instructed classes ranging from Python development to Minecraft modding and Roblox game creation using Lua.
I enrolled as a visiting student to take STATS 116 Introduction to Probability Theory under Professor Gene B. Kim. The class strictly required a rigorous three part mathematics sequence covering Calculus 1, 2, and 3 to understand the foundational concepts. Despite not having this prerequisite I instead decided to self study calculus independently and take the course. I balanced this intense academic load alongside my full time job as a campus instructor and successfully completed the course with a B+.