My AI Journey: A Curious Mind, a Coded Path, and the Love for Learning
- S B
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
I was six years old. A neuroscientist visited my class on career day. The word sounded magical, like something out of Mary Poppins.
I remember being completely captivated, sitting quietly in awe. I soaked in every word, mesmerized by the mysteries of the brain. Then we were allowed to touch the brain model. A treasured memory — not only because I held it, but because it taught me how valuable it is to model the unseen. Discovering that the brain was the source of all my thoughts and dreams sparked a lifelong passion for science.
When I went home that evening, I announced to my mother: “I’m going to be a neuroscientist.” While life had different plans, that moment ignited a curiosity about how things work, from the brain to the computer systems inspired by it. Looking back, I realize that six-year-old me wasn’t so far off; I was simply destined to explore the brain along a coded path.
My First Steps into Coding
At twelve, a high school computer applications class introduced me to typing and word processing. But it was the following year, in my first computer science course, that something wonderful began.
Pascal, an educational programming language, became my entry point to coding. I was captivated by writing recipes for computers to follow. I still remember the thrill of running my first error-free program. This was my favorite course at school, second only to biology.
The next year, I advanced to learning C, a language with real-world applications, and remarkably, I excelled. Developing logic and flow in coding prepared me for the future, as processes and pathways would be central to the defining moments of my scientific journey.
These classes weren’t about solving big problems but understanding how code worked. Writing pseudocode — a mix of English and code — on paper taught me logical and systematic thinking, forming the early steps of what would become my AI journey. Even today, I never write code without a plan. Just as the neuroscientist showed me how to “model the unseen,” I was now modeling logic within a computer.
These courses were enjoyable, but they were just that — courses. I never saw them as part of my future career. Like any teenager, I was just happy to get good grades. Yet coding was the skill that would pull me away from the path I was on to reveal something I didn’t know existed.
Finding My Scientific Footing
After high school, I began my college journey and declared a major in biological science. Following the pre-med track promised a stable career, so I structured my activities around neuroscience and medical school preparation.
At 18, I joined a summer research program in marine neuroscience. Working in the lab studying marine animal behavior — designing experiments and presenting findings — gave me my first hands-on experience with scientific research. I was doing what I set out to do at 6 years old.
A Call to Create
The marine research experience included a stipend. I got paid to do meaningful and enjoyable work — an incredible lesson for a young adult. The following year, I studied how birds develop songs in their brains, fulfilling my research credits.
These were tremendous opportunities. Yet, something was missing. Like the sea calling to Moana, something whispered in the back of my mind, a longing for more. Looking back, it was the need to create by hand, something I hadn’t fully understood at the time.
Rediscovering Coding
During registration after my songbird research, I discovered that my scholarship covered extra classes at no cost. This happy accident led me to computer science courses outside my curriculum: first C++, building on my C foundation, then Java.
Both courses reignited my high school excitement, though they didn’t count toward my graduation requirements. They brought back the joy of building those early Pascal and C programs. In my mind, they were still just courses. Yet they were chapters in an unfolding story where I didn’t even realize I was a character.
Choosing My Future
After graduation, I was at a crossroads. As a pre-med major, I had done everything right — completed the courses, visited hospitals, and taken the medical school entrance exam. But it wasn’t my passion. My research experiences and my professors’ encouragement had empowered me to explore unknown paths. I knew a career in science would be challenging, with no clear roadmap like medical school.
I decided to pursue graduate school in biology. Truthfully, I was buying time, not yet ready to tell my parents I wouldn’t be attending medical school.
Answering the Call
With the entrance exam complete and the department chosen, it was time to choose a path. I casually browsed the biology section of the course catalog. While neuroscience had fueled my childhood dreams, microbiology and cell biology had captivated me in college, highlighting the intricate processes and pathways that make life possible. I loved mapping these pathways by hand.
As I turned the pages slowly without expectation, my mind wrestled with my decision. Then, one word caught my eye. Its description resonated deeply, stopping me in my tracks. I saw myself reflected in those words. Like Moana, I had found what had been calling me.
A Defining Moment
There it was: Bioinformatics — the integration of biology, chemistry, statistics, and computer science. Chemistry? Check — my biology degree included a chemistry minor. Statistics? Check — biostatistics was part of my core curriculum. Computer science? Check and check again.
Excited and curious, I scanned the program requirements. I found C++ and Java. The courses that were “just courses” had become my guide. Pascal and C were my foundation, and Bioinformatics would be my future. This wasn’t just about what I would study — it defined who I would become. Bioinformatics would anchor a career of curiosity that would ultimately lead to AI. The coded path had found its main road.
Looking Back on an Unexpected AI Journey
Bioinformatics combined everything I loved since childhood: modeling the unseen, mapping processes, and coding. My brain inspiration came full circle when I learned to program artificial neural networks — computer models inspired by the brain’s communication channels.
Bioinformatics, paired with new programming skills I later acquired, transitioned me from academia to the professional world. I developed expertise — some self-taught — in tools that led to publishing scientific papers and solving real-world problems.
That first encounter with a brain model had prepared me to understand and program a different kind of brain — one built on artificial intelligence. My intrigue in processes and pathways in both computing and biology would culminate in AI-driven biomedical research across many disciplines.
Wayfinding with Code
From the six-year-old in a pink uniform touching a brain model to the teenager coding for fun, the young woman who embraced coding has become a professional driving the development and implementation of AI solutions. Life had different plans than becoming a neuroscientist, but that early fascination with understanding how things work led me exactly where I needed to be.
Like Moana, I realized that the call wasn’t out there — it is inside me. I am a wayfinder, and the code is my path.
Join the Conversation
"AI is the tool, but the vision is human." — Sophia B.
👉 For weekly insights on navigating our AI-driven world, subscribe to AI & Me:
Let’s Connect
I’m exploring how generative AI is reshaping storytelling, science, and art — especially for those of us outside traditional creative industries.
About the Author
Sophia Banton works at the intersection of AI strategy, communication, and human impact. With a background in bioinformatics, public health, and data science, she brings a grounded, cross-disciplinary perspective to the adoption of emerging technologies.
Beyond technical applications, she explores GenAI’s creative potential through storytelling and short-form video, using experimentation to understand how generative models are reshaping narrative, communication, and visual expression.
