Major: Computer Science
Minor: Math
Hometown: Capitol Heights, Maryland
Further Degrees: I received a Master of Science degree in Computer Science (with a focus in Computer Graphics) from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in August 2005 and a second Master of Science degree in Information Systems from UMBC in December 2010.
Current Employer: I work for Lockheed Martin as a senior software engineer.
Most Enhancing Experience while at Ä¢¹½tv: Being at the Honors College itself. I enjoyed and learned a great deal from each day of our Core classes. In addition, I learned about how different people thought about many issues and how they interact with each other while living in the Honors College. I felt accepted and understood at the Honors College, which is why I feel the Honors College is the most important enhancing experience while at Ä¢¹½tv.
About My Major: Computer Science at Ä¢¹½tv was an interesting experience. During the time that I went to Ä¢¹½tv, there were not many female students in the classes. I had to work hard and earn the respect of my peers and professors in my classes. The computer science classes were difficult and time-consuming at times. Often we had to write programs and read literature on computer science theory and concepts that were complex in nature. I worked hard in all of my classes and learned the fundamentals of computer science. My computer science studies at Ä¢¹½tv helped prepare me for my master's degree in Computer Science. It provided me the foundation I needed to excel and master the field of computer science. It also provided me basic tools to be successful in my current career as a software engineer.
HC Impact: The Cook Honors College impacted my life greatly. I have always been a person who thought "outside of the box." My perspective has been different from others since I have been born. Many times throughout my high school years and before, I have been told that I "think too much." That I should not be asking the questions that I ask and that I am not focused on what is "really important." This kind of talk always made me second-guess my questions and often made me feel different for thinking the way that I thought. This all changed once I went to the Honors College. At the Honors College, I learned that the type of thinking that I was doing was called "critical thinking" and that it is something that is rarely done in society. I learned that asking questions that others do not ask makes you intelligent and unique. I learned that having different perspectives about issues or topics is not wrong; it is life. Being able listen to different perspectives, understand what they are saying and coming to a consensus is wisdom and intelligence. The Honors College did not just teach me subject matter that was required for my degree—it taught me life lessons that you cannot find in a book. To this day, I still reference core questions in my day-to-day discussions on life, politics, and society. I feel that I am a more complete person after graduating from the Honors College and I am thankful that I attended. I feel that all school programs should be taught with the philosophies developed at the Robert E. Cook Honors College.