Hi, friends!
My name is Mackenzie Paradeis and I’m a senior Computer Science student at Oregon State University. I’m based in Moorhead, Minnesota, which is a relatively small town just across the river from Fargo, North Dakota. I’m originally from Brainerd, Minnesota, which is right in the heart of lake country in north central Minnesota. I live with my partners and our three cats, who do their best to keep our lives interesting and active.
I enjoy playing games of all kinds (card, board, video, etc.) and often spend my free time immersed in my current video game fascination. I’m looking forward to learning more about game design and development this year. I also really enjoy reading, puzzles, and crafts.
I chose to go back to school for computer science because I felt like it was time for a change in my life and it was one of my back burner career choices. I obtained a degree in massage therapy and spent several years in that field until moving on to pursue other interests.
The two years I’ve spent at OSU have been challenging, enlightening, and rewarding. The thing I like most about learning to program is the problem solving — I’m a big fan of having a puzzle to solve. There’s nothing quite like the moment when everything comes together, and it makes the hours of tracing code and running tests worth it.
I’m excited to get the chance to devote an entire year to working on a single project. I’ve been looking forward to the capstone, and I’m eager to get started.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!
