CSpotlight: From Curiosity to Cybersecurity

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

In high school, I was between engineering and computer science. I liked programming, so I thought, “Why not stick with it?” I decided to take the whole AP computer science track as well, which was very fun and helped me land on computer science.

Choosing the University of Minnesota was not too big of a decision for me. I applied to a bunch of schools, but there were only really two I seriously considered. I chose the University of Minnesota because it’s a great research school and is in a good proximity to home. The community felt open to ideas, and monetarily, it was cheaper than my other option.

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

When I was growing up, I would always look at computers, TV’s, and video games and wonder how they worked. At my school, from second to eigth grade, there was an after school coding club. It was basic coding, but it was interesting to see how the code made things happen. Then, toward the end of the coding club, the people who ran it told me to try Python and Java, which I did. I was pretty good at it, too, which helped me realize my interest in programming.

Within computer science, I’m specifically interested in secure servers. I like the concept of figuring out how you can keep personal information secure from people who are trying to take it. I’m also interested in backend development, because while I can see what the front end – the screen – looks like, I enjoy understanding how the logic runs through the whole system, how information is stored, and things like that.

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

I would like to show that you don’t have to be fully focused on just schooling. Last year, I was a part of a soccer league, which was pretty fun. I was also a teaching assistant and participated in research. There’s no need to focus only on your classes; there are more ways to get the experience you want. You can teach, you can tutor, you can get into research, or just join a bunch of clubs. That is what I want to show the computer science community here.

Have you been involved with any research on campus?

Last year, I worked with Assistant Professor Alexander McLeod on a project studying protein fibers related to Alzheimer’s. He’s a physics professor, and I did the project through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). I focused on data analysis, taking large datasets collected by graduate students and turning them into something clear and usable. My role was to develop simple, understandable ways to represent the patterns in these protein structures.

I took physics with Professor McLeod in my freshman year. Toward the end of the class, he said that if you get an A or A-minus in the course, to talk to him because he might have a research position for us. So, I asked him if I could come into his research. He asked me what my major was, and I said computer science. He said it was exactly what he needed, which led me to do a UROP under him.

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

Take a risk. There’s no right or wrong answer. Computer science is built on being confident in yourself and saying, “I can do this; I can program; I can teach others how to program, and this is why I should get hired, or this is why I should continue in grad school or further on.” You want to be able to say, “I may have failed, but I took this risk to try to reach that goal.”

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I’m hoping to find something in cybersecurity. Hopefully, from there, I’d like to get to a place where I feel stable, and then I’ll possibly pursue grad school, since that seems like a fun option to me.

Are there any additional experiences you did that you would like to highlight in the article?

I am currently a teaching assistant for CSCI 1133: Introduction to Computing and Programming Concepts and CSCI 1135: Exploring Computer Science Exercises in Python. I’ve always been interested in teaching, so it's a fun experience. I get to see the smiles and reactions of students who have no experience programming seeing their code work for the first time. I also enjoy seeing their reaction when there is a giant mess of things, and I go line by line with them until the code works. They’re happy, and I’m happy for them.