Degree: B.S. in Computer Science
How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
The Stamps Scholarship brought me close to an incredible group of people during my time as an undergraduate. These individuals came from many different backgrounds, and as such each one wound up teaching me something special during my time in college. I am especially thankful that I will be able to call them life-long friends.
In addition, I am grateful for the freedom that the Stamps Scholarship afforded me during my undergraduate experience. Free to explore my interests without worrying about financial burdens, I pursued research in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence, became a member of multiple courses’ teaching staff within my department, and helped to build up HackIllinois, our university’s premier hackathon.
To me, the Stamps Scholarship is a treasured collection of experiences and relationships that has had a profound impact on who I am today.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self?
Perfection is an unrealistic goal. Do the best you can, and let that be enough! Things will turn out alright in the end.
Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
My family has had the greatest impact on me throughout my college career. My parents in particular have been there for me during my best and my worst moments. Their encouragement and their sharing of advice has helped me through more than they know in becoming the best version of myself.
What comes next?
I’ll be heading to Seattle, Washington, to begin work with Facebook as a software engineer! I don’t know anyone out there, but I’m looking forward to it as a new chapter of my life.