Computer
Science
Background
Computer Science Class Overview
9th
- Survey of Business – A
10th
- AP Computer Science Principles – A (3)
11th
- AP Computer Science A – A (4)
12th
- CC Computer Apps – A
- CC Cyber Devices 1 – A
- CC Wiring & Cabling – A
- Computer Science Independent Study – A
- Mobile App Development Year 2 – A
- Programming Advanced Year 3 – A
Before High School
Elementary:
In my elementary we only had electronics available to us during Hour of Code and STEM Wars. I always looked forward to Hour of Code because not only did it come naturally to me but I would also normally help those around me. In STEM Wars there were spheros and I placed in district and state for it.
7th Grade:
As a 7th grader I knew I wanted to do something in CS and going to a new school I also wanted to be very involved. There were two clubs that checked both of these boxes which were the Coding Club and the Robotics team. In the coding club I just messed around and got more experiences with different robotics like the spheros. The robotics team had around 50 people with different departments they could join it included: building team, programming team, innovation, and etc. I was apart of the build, programming, and innovation team, and while the year was not successful in the competition it was a great learning experience for me.
8th Grade:
In 8th grade I chose to stay in the same clubs as I was in during 7th grade. In the Coding Club we did the same things with sometimes doing other stuff like playing with a bigger and better robot, Dash. The Robotics club got flipped upside down because we had switched to a different competition, “FIRST Lego League Challenge.” Additionally, instead of one big team they made two separate team, A and B, 10 people per team. I was in team A and the departments were the same with build and programming tied together and innovation having its own thing. The team placed in district and advanced to state but fell just short of advancing and going to Lego World. However, at state we did get a trophy
High School
9th Grade:
Freshman year only contained one computer related class, Survey of Business (CBA). When requesting for classes for this school year I was torn between CBA or AP Computer Science Principles (CSP), but ultimately I chose to take CBA because they were offering certifications for Microsoft Office. I knew that in which ever branch of CS I went into I would need to know Microsoft Office and I would have the certifications to back it up as well. This is where I got certified in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
10th Grade:
computer class that would be the standard for most computer classes at Southside. This class also help me branch out and socialize more with peeps of the same interest and overall helping each other out with the coding challenges. Helping each other out really came out during the create task and this was when for a definite answer I knew I wanted to do CS because I saw a game I was creating come to life and seeing that made me very intrigued. I was also apart of the club “The Future Business Leaders of America” (FBLA) and I competed in the category “Mobile Application Development” during the state competition which I placed 4th in the state for. The prompt for the category was to build an app similar to the learning management system, Schoology, the app was called “MyErudite” which met all the requirements and had a special feature which was a working calendar. 11th Grade:
Junior year only consisted of one computer class but it was a very beneficial year because the class one AP Computer Science A. In this class I spent the whole year learning Java which was also my first coding language. My time in the class was a success because I spent a whole year learning Java and got a in-depth understanding of it. Since I learned Java I knew learning more coding languages would be manageable because of how similar most languages are. For the entire year there was not a single day where I did not use Java which is why I consider Java to be my strongest coding language I use. So near the end of the year I took and passed the CodeHS Java Level 1 Certification. Additionally, I participated in the Governor’s Coding Competition which my team and I did entirely in Java and it was a great experience because even though every team was competing against each other, we continued to assist one another with the challenges. Just like in my sophomore year I was in FBLA again and competed but this year did the category “Computer Game & Simulation Programming” which we made to state. The game was called “Word Graham” which was created in construct 2 and it was a hangman styled game with 3 levels to represent the levels of a S’more: graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate.
12th Grade:
Senior year was the year with the most computer classes in my schedule with about 6. The classes included 3 from the PEAK Innovation Center, Wiring and Cabling, Cyber Devices I, and Computer Applications for the Knowledge Worker (ITA), and the other 3 were from Southside, Independent Study, Programming Year 3, and Mobile App Development Year 2 (MAD 2). Additionally, I also took an AI course on my own time just to branch out and try different fields of CS to see what I find most interesting. So I would be studying C++ and any other language during the day and on Tuesday nights I would take the AI class online. Along with this, I learned computer hardware, how to make ethernet cords, and refined my skills into Microsoft office during my time at PEAK. In MAD 2 we did react native and some cybersecurity. I started my own project outside of school which was building Tetris in C++. I decided to make Tetris because I learned C++ but didn’t have any real projects to show for it, so I believed making a game would show my skills and ability in the language. I am also doing FBLA again and competing in the same category this year but it will be done in construct 3 instead of construct 2. This year’s prompt was to create an adventure game with a storyline incorporating FBLA goals, concepts, and/or history. The games development was with my two friends, Marceline Colquitt and Aiden “Veggie” Yandell. If we advance to National for FBLA we plan on publishing our game onto steam.
Reflections on What I've Learned, Its Significance, and Application Strategies:
I started the year off by first selecting what I wanted to learn which was C++. So through Coursera, I took a 16-week course from the University of Colorado, Boulder to learn C++ along with some Unreal Engine fundamentals. During this course, I was also learning and got certified in Python by passing the PCEP and CodeHS Python Level 1 Certification. During the second semester I stuck with my plan of continuing to learn C++ in order to pass my CPE and also spent some time learning Javascript to pass my JSE and CodeHS JavaScript Level 1 Certification. I learned a variety of languages and branches of computer science just to see what I would like and see what was interesting to me. With all of the coding languages, the AI class and AI chatbot I made in programming year 3, and the cybersecurity I was doing with Cyberstart America; I felt the most interested in was C++ and game development mostly because of the Coursera class I took over C++ and Unreal Engine. Since I placed high in the Cyberstart America leaderboard, I earned free course and text exam for the GFACT. Either while in college or after college I will try to get an internship or a job at RIOT because not only was it a company I’ve played over the years but also because most of their games use a bit of C++ and Unreal.
My Skills
I believe in the fact that learning never stops and I am interested in learning new technologies and programming languages that will help me design and develop a better projects.
College
College Plans:
For college I plan on attending the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and majoring in computer science. When I graduate I plan on graduating with a Bachelor of Science – Computer Science. Currently, it’s a computer science degree with a general concentration but within a couple of semesters it will change to a data science concentration.