Being that CMU is widely considered a “nerd school” known for its excellent computer science program, it is no surprise that it is a dream for most students to work at Google. It just so happens that Google, one of the largest technology companies in the world, recently opened an office in Pittsburgh. When most students picture themselves working for Google, they see themselves sitting in front of a computer screen coding. The posh offices with gourmet food and massages in California might also come to mind.?Rika Keener, a freshman fine arts major from Pittsburgh, is working for Google, but not in the way one would expect. She was chosen to use her artistic talents to paint a mural in the new Pittsburgh office.
(Rika pictured on the right)
Before working for Google, Rika painted murals around Pittsburgh as part of a mural painting group. Her uncle, a chef at Google, was showing photos of her art to his coworkers when it was suggested that she paint a mural in the cafeteria of the new office. Of course, Rika immediately accepted. “It’s so cool that I get to do something for a huge company like Google,” she said.
The mural represents East Liberty in the early 1900’s. Rika said, “it was so interesting to research the area during that time for the mural. But the best part had to be hiding little androids and references to Google and Nabisco (google is located in the old Nabisco factory) throughout the mural. The ‘Googlers’ got a kick out of that.”?In addition to her awesome job, Rika is very involved in various activities at CMU. She plays percussion in the Kiltie band, which she says is “a ton of fun because i am a huge marching band nerd.” She is also a member of CIA buggy. “I have never done anything like that before,” she said, “so it is quite an experience.” She also hopes to get involved with more groups, perhaps a game design group.