Why UC Merced?
Frankly, I got rejected from every school I applied to, and only got into Merced due to California's statewide guarantee (the Count Me In program).
That said, my time here has been amazing, and I don't regret it in the slightest.
Why Your Major?
I've always been interested in computers, but I didn't start programming in earnest until my first year of high-school, when I joined the robotics team after hearing about it from my Computer Science teacher, Mr. Pardi.
I found that I truly enjoyed the process of solving problems with code, so getting a degree in the field felt like the natural next step.
Inspiration and Mentors
Prof. Hyeran Jeon and Prof. Patrick Sprenger have been wonderful mentors throughout my time here at UC Merced.
Memorable Academic Experience
Staying in the library until midnight 4 days a week working on homework for Vector Calc, locking tf in after getting a 37 on my midterm for Numerical Methods, leading study groups for my Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence classes, forcing myself out of bed for 7:30am Labs. These experiences, and others, challenged me in different ways and gave me an opportunity to really apply myself and learn so much more than I otherwise would have. When things get difficult, it can be easy to want to give up, but I think it's important to remember that you'll never truly fail as long as you show up, do the work, and learn something from it.
What's Next?
After graduating, I will be getting a Masters in Computational And Applied Mathematics at Rice University.
