Learning Statement

The quote above has driven me throughout college, as I hope it will in my future. When I entered UW, I was completely sure about my plans and dreams. However, after participating in the COPE health scholars program, I realized that the career path I had previously chosen was not fit for me. After my first year of college, I found myself in the position of being completely unsure about what I wanted to do, as well as how to do it. However, I let the quote guide me, as I swallowed my anxiety and forged my path forward. Later, during my major, I again had anxiety over taking the most difficult classes. However, my motivation allowed me to discover my aspirations within computer science and begin my plan for the future.

The COPE program was truly a transformative experience. Although I was very interested in working in a hospital and excited about patient care, I rapidly burned out. I began to doubt myself, wondering if the track I had chosen was right for me after all. At the same time, I was in Honors classes with students from all backgrounds and fields of study – from English to political science to informatics. Even though my classes seemed somewhat normal – history, linguistics, etc. – the exposure to these variety of viewpoints allowed me to reconsider my convictions. I wanted to make a difference and help people, but there was no one way to do so.

At the same time, I began to find another of my passions – one for understanding the building blocks of things, and how they worked. This passion had always driven me through my biology and chemistry classes, and I was able to apply it to my new major, computer science. These diverse interests truly culminated in my research at the Brunton Lab, where I was able to unite my passions for medicine and computer science.

Within the computer science major, I found myself somewhat of a generalist, without any particular inclinations. I found myself attracted to the "hip" new topics of data science and machine learning, but found them to be unfulfilling. I was continuously nagged by my desire to work with the building blocks of my field -- in this case, low level systems programming. When a friend convinced me to try a class, my decision to hold learning over fear kicked in, and I discovered an interest in systems programming that I continue to explore.

My intended audience for the portfolio is anybody who is unsure about their convictions or wants to learn about how, in an age of increasing specialization, interdisciplinary knowledge is still incredibly useful. I intend to use this portfolio for myself in a similar manner – reminding myself as I go on to not be narrow-minded and stick to a single specialization or area of expertise, and rather to keep my horizons broad and learn new things always. I invite the reader to reflect back on my journey with me, as we work to learn these lessons together.