ABOUT ME

When I first came to Iowa State, I planned to study Mechanical Engineering. A few weeks into my first semester, I found myself waiting for my M E 160 homework to be released. This course focused on solving engineering problems by writing code in MATLAB. I wasn't excited about the physics or thermodynamics in the problems, I was excited to see what a computer was capable of. Once a homework was released, I would forget about all my other courses until that assignment was done. I would then help my classmates and wait for the next homework.

Mechanical Engineering 160 showed me what I really enjoyed. I debated between three majors: Software Engineering, Cyber Security Engineering, and Computer Engineering. After a lot of consideration, I chose Software. My first semester of S E meant I had to take two courses: COM S 227 and CPR E 281. The computer science course wasn't too difficult, and it ended up being forgettable compared to the computer engineering course. I spent more time on CPR E 281 than any other class I had ever taken. CPR E 281 is "Digital Logic," so I spent many evenings drawing K-maps and creating circuits. The hours of homework, quizzes, labs, projects, and exam prep frustrated me throughout the first few months of the semester. However, the end of the class was devoted to a final project. I spent dozens of hours perfecting my design for my chosen project (in retrospect, a lot more than I needed to), and I ended up with the most satisfaction I had ever received from a school project.

Shortly after finishing my second semester, I realized computer engineering had my attention more than any other class I've taken. My 3rd semester meant taking CPR E 288: "Embedded Systems I." Quickly after I began CPR E 288, I realized I wanted to pursue embedded systems. I learned how to do so many things that I didn't know I was capable of. I found that I enjoyed and performed better than a lot of my peers in my embedded systems course. I attribute that to the same feeling I had in CPR E 281 and M E 160, an eagerness and creativity for the work I was doing.

Although computer engineering is very exciting to me, it's a small part of my life outside of school. I try to fill my time as much as possible as I get bored easily.

The past few summers have done a good job of keeping my attention. Spending time at summer camps and as a zipline guide have showed me that work can be extremely exciting and, more importantly, fulfilling.

When I'm not in school or at work (which is feeling very rare at this point in my life), I buy and sell cars. Cars have been a passion of mine since I had to buy my first one as a 15 year old. Although modifying and driving cars is fun, car sales was what really captivated me. By the time I was 18, I was on my 7th car. I started with the capital of a 15 year old (not much), and I have been able to find profit in a tricky market.

My school year is always busy, but I have been able to squeeze in a few clubs that I enjoy. They aren't all preparing me to be a great computer engineer one day, but I find myself looking forward to a club meeting at the end of my school day. Monday evenings are spent at Mountaineering and Climbing Club. This means I watch a presentation about climbing and then have some time built into my schedule to do some indoor climbing. Weather permitting Tuesday nights are used to attend Birding club. This may be my favorite part of the week. Spending an hour walking on a trail and looking for birds is consistently the highlight of my day. On Wednesdays, I go to Engineers for a Sustainable World. We are building a Solar-Powered Charging Station for ISU's outdoor volleyball courts. I have a few close friends in the club, so it's just an hour of coming up with new ideas for a cool project with people I enjoy.

When I'm in Iowa and not busy with school or clubs, I try my best to enjoy college and socialize. This usually means going to the gym to rock climb with friends or going on camping/climbing trips. A lot of my weekends are going to outdoor rock, climbing competitions, or both. I also try and attend any concerts in Ames, play ultimate frisbee, and climb trees.