CSpotlight: Building the systems behind software

Why did you choose to pursue a degree in computer science specifically at the University of Minnesota?

My interest in computer science started in middle school when I took a summer coding camp. I liked how methodical coding was. It felt like a puzzle, and I’ve always enjoyed puzzles and logical thinking, so computer science felt like a field where I could apply and grow those skills. I chose the University of Minnesota because it is a strong Big Ten school with a large campus that is close to my hometown. I can still go home and see my family, so I felt it was a good balance between the two.

How did you become interested in computer science? What are your specific interests within the field?

I initially became interested in computer science when I participated in the summer coding camp. Later, I took AP Computer Science in high school, where I enjoyed the creative freedom of computer science and realized how many different ways you can solve a problem using code. I’m specifically interested in back-end software engineering. I’m still deciding on whether I want to go into application programming interface (API) development, which is writing code that connects different pieces of software together; or distributed systems, which deals with software on multiple different servers that work together for a common goal. I know I want to do back-end work, though.

Tell us more about your internship experiences.

During my sophomore year, I became an Academic Technology Intern for the University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology. I initially automated manual tasks using Python and fixed accessibility issues in different Canvas courses, but after a few months, my boss came to me with a problem from the Office of Digital Accessibility. The University needed all of its websites to meet accessibility standards within the next year and a half, but the data from those sites was scattered across multiple spreadsheets and owned by different departments, making it hard to manage. Over the next few months, I built a full-stack application that centralized all the information. Users could log in based on their credentials and have access to update, delete, or manage anything on the websites they needed to. Within three months of launching the tool, 80% of the previously untracked websites had been added to the system and had their accessibility issues resolved. After that project, I was promoted to a full‑stack software engineering intern, a role I worked in full‑time over the summer and have continued part-time this school year. In June, I’ll be starting an internship at another company doing back end and data engineering work.

Are you involved in any student groups? What inspired you to get involved? 

I'm the president of Minorities in Tech and the treasurer of the AI Club. I first became involved with these groups during my freshman year when I wanted to build my resume, and I thought joining student organizations was a good way to do that. 

Minorities in Tech is a student group aimed at helping underrepresented students in data science, software engineering, and similar fields. We mainly provide coding workshops, resume reviews, mock interviews, and other similar experiences. We have guest speakers come from companies like Amazon, Accenture, and Target who give presentations and career advice. 

AI Club is another project-based group. Its goal is to educate students on AI, both technically and ethically. We also host many guest speaker events and are currently working on a project called Gopher GPT, an app that is supposed to have a similar functionality to OneStop, but in the form of a chatbot.

What do you hope to contribute to the computer science community at the University?

I hope to contribute to the community by helping teach students and providing them with the opportunity for real-world software experience through my leadership positions. I think without the internship I had my sophomore year, I would be lost right now. With undergraduate courses, you don’t really learn about what the code actually looks like in real life. I want to provide people with the chance to learn through opportunities and experiences that reflect the real world.

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

Keep your head up. People say the job market sucks, but it will always work out if you're here for the right reasons. If you're truly interested in computer science and passionate about it, you'll find things to fill your time that can help you in your career. It doesn't have to be an internship — it can be a side project or an extracurricular.

Also, practice your interviewing skills and make sure that your resume is on point. Even if you're the smartest person ever, most companies will have you talk to a nontechnical human resources interviewer before you even get to talk to engineers. So being able to explain your experience to someone who doesn't know all the technical nuances is an essential skill.

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m currently applying to the computer science master’s program at UMN, and I hope to start in September. After that, I plan to work at either a Fortune 500 or a big tech company. I’m interested in a larger company because of the resources and the opportunities to learn.