CS 373 Fall 2020: Samantha Tuapen
Hi everyone! This is my introductory blog post for CS 373: Software Engineering.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Euless, Texas — located right in between Dallas and Fort Worth — which was amazing because I got to enjoy the best of both cities.
What high school did you attend?
I attended L.D. Bell High School. (#BleedBlue #RaiderNation)
What was your favorite extracurricular activity in high school?
My favorite extracurricular activity in high school was being in the full orchestra. I’ve played the violin for the past 14 years and I love performing in ensembles. Music helps me express myself when words can’t and is my escape from the ‘real world’. Playing with a full orchestra as a section leader for the violins helped me gain leadership experience, meet lifelong friends, and grow as a musician. We even got to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City the Summer of 2017! That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will cherish forever. But the fun didn’t stop when I graduated, because now I’m in the University Orchestra at UT.
Why did you come to UT?
I remember having such a rough time making a decision between committing to SMU or UT because I had so much respect for both schools, but in the end, I knew I wanted to pursue Computer Science and UT definitely offers a better program for that by a long shot. And I have never regretted my decision since. (#HookEm)
Why are you majoring in CS?
Back in high school, I originally enrolled in a CS class just to satisfy the tech credits I needed to graduate. However, I quickly became very fascinated by how versatile CS can be in terms of how valuable it is to all types of industry, especially in this age of rapidly-evolving technology. I also became addicted to that feeling when you finally fix the bug or logic error that’s been frustrating you for DAYS and your program finally runs the way you want it to. It’s like I’m on cloud nine.
I’m so thankful I took that class in high school, or else I would be in BME right now…
Why are you in this class?
I came to UT wanting to be a software engineer, so I’m excited to finally learn more about software engineering. I also heard from other students who took this class that the projects and team work are similar to industry work flow where we get to develop projects end-to-end using the relevant technologies. I’m excited to walk through that process and develop my full-stack skills throughout the semester.
What are your expectations of this class?
I hope to gain a deeper understanding of JavaScript, Python, and SQL so I can apply it to my own projects and in industry. I also hope to become a better team player from working in larger groups for the projects.
How much JavaScript/Python/Web Programming do you already know?
I have very limited experience with JavaScript, Python, and Web Programming from small side projects and online courses I’ve taken about them in my free time, so I still consider myself a novice.
How did you like the two lectures?
I admire how Professor Downing is doing his best to maintain a good level of interactivity in his lectures despite the obstacle of being virtual. I also enjoy how comfortable he makes us feel regardless of our technical background/expertise when explaining new topics.
How do you feel about cold calling?
I’m fairly confident that cold calling will always make me nervous regardless of how old I am, what class it’s for, or what question I’m being asked. I know there are many benefits of cold calling such as keeping us engaged and alert, but I just can’t help but break out in a cold sweat when I hear my name out of the blue. I hope to be less nervous about this as the semester progresses, but for now, I guess I’ll always have to be camera-ready for Zoom.
What made you happy this week?
I thought being completely online this semester and not in Austin would make me feel isolated and distant from my friends and keep me from meeting new people, but it happens to be the complete opposite! It’s so comforting to hear from everyone again and to know that we’re all on the same boat and going through this together.
What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
I gained a very basic understanding of web development (both front and back ends) as well as constructing SQL queries to perform CRUD operations on databases this past summer through online courses created by Microsoft on edX.org. The specific classes I took were called Building Functional Prototypes using Node.js (Back-end) and Building Interactive Prototypes using JavaScript (Front-end). Also, Introduction to Python: Fundamentals is a great starting point for learning Python.
And that’s a little about me! Good luck to everyone in this course and I hope we all have a great semester ahead :)
