Hello 👋,
I want to start by saying that I’m really excited to begin the Computer Science capstone. I can’t wait to see all the new things I’ll learn and the connections I’ll make along the way. This is something I’ve been looking forward to, and I’m eager to get started and make the most of the experience.
I currently live in Albany with my wife because the rent prices in Corvallis are insane. I really don’t have time for hobbies; everything I’m doing this year is focused on making me a better Software Engineer and ensuring I can pay rent and afford food in this economy. This doesn’t mean I don’t have fun. For example, I’m currently configuring a more advanced Neovim setup and improving my Vim motions on my Arch Linux system, which I personally find very fun and rewarding. Some people might consider my time at the gym a hobby, but for me, the gym is non-negotiable, so I don’t view it as a hobby. If and when I have free time, the hobbies I’d enjoy would be hiking, playing games with friends (the type of game varies), and playing Nintendo Switch with my wife.
My story for getting into computer science is surprising to some, but here it goes. I started college in 2020 during what we all know and love as COVID-19. When I began, I was pursuing a degree in Kinesiology, also known as Exercise Science, with the goal of becoming a physical therapist (PT). I entered college with a lot of credit from being an International Baccalaureate (IB) graduate, which covered a decent portion of my core requirements, though I still had several classes left to take. As a result, the first two years were focused on completing those core credits, with some major-specific courses sprinkled in.
During my second year in Kinesiology, two main things happened:
- The course material and difficulty of many classes were no longer as interesting or challenging as they used to be.
- I began to love developing Discord bots and learning programming with Python.
Despite this, I continued with Kinesiology and, during the summer of 2022, landed a per-diem job at Good Samaritan as a Physical Therapy Aide. In this role, I worked side-by-side with physical and occupational therapists. Unfortunately, this only confirmed my disinterest in Kinesiology, leading me to take a huge leap of faith and switch to Computer Science. The first few classes completely opened my eyes to the possibilities of software engineering and the rest is history.
When I’m not working on an awesome project, I’m working at Beaver Town Movers as a Job Site Supervisor / Lead Mover. It’s a physically intensive job with flexible hours, and it’s usually fun and pays well. I’m truly grateful I found this job a year ago.
When I’m not working or spending time with my lovely wife, I’m also exploring new technologies. Currently, I find Amazon Web Services (AWS) fascinating. For my CS 406 course, I’m building an AWS project while pursuing my AWS certifications.
I might be a little biased, but my favorite project is one I proposed: Foodable. If we’re not talking about my project, then I’d have to say my two second favorites are the Language Immersion Virtual Environment (LIVE) and Lidar to 3D Sound Application for the Seeing-impaired. These projects fascinate me because they not only sound exciting to create but also have the potential to help people in the real world.