CS371p Spring 2021: Samantha Tuapen

3 min readJan 24, 2021

Hey everyone! This is my introductory blog post for CS 371P: Object-Oriented Programming

If this entry sounds strangely familiar to you…odds are you probably read my introductory blog post for CS 373: Software Engineering last semester! I’ll try my best to switch up some of my responses for the same questions so I don’t sound like a broken record :D

Where did you grow up?

Euless, TX — A suburb right in the middle of Dallas and Fort Worth, which was great because I got to experience the best of both cities. It’s crazy how different the cultures of two cities can be when they’re only 33 miles away from each other.

What high school did you attend?

L.D. Bell High School! Our football team was unimpressive, but our marching band was phenomenal.

What was your favorite extracurricular activity in high school?

Being a violinist in our full orchestra! I grew up playing the violin through the Suzuki Strings program in our district, so I had a lot of fun making great music with my childhood friends and meeting more people. I also had very memorable experiences with our orchestra, from UIL performances to All-Region clinics, to winning competitions in Winter Park, CO and even performing at Carnegie Hall in NYC!

Why did you come to UT?

Out of all the universities I was accepted to, UT has the best computer science program for an in-state tuition price! I’m so happy with my decision, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else :D #hookem

Why are you majoring in CS?

After taking a couple under-funded CS courses in high school, I recognized my excitement and interest in coding because of its versatility and relevance in many facets of our life, especially with technology becoming steadily more advanced. This was the only subject I was really passionate about, so I took that as a sign to continue to learn this field in college.

Why are you in this class?

Objected-Oriented programming is a relevant and widely-used design pattern not only in university but in industry. I’m familiar with OOP from learning objected-oriented languages such as Java, but I’m interested in learning about it more in-depth in this course. I also had Professor Downing for CS 373: Software Engineering last semester and I thoroughly enjoyed his lectures and curriculum.

How much C++ do you already know?

Not enough to be proficient and not look things up on Google. However, I’m familiar with C and C# so I hope I can pick up C++ easily.

How did you like the two lectures?

I really enjoy Professor Downing’s pace during his lectures. He explains things thoroughly and is patient when answering questions students may have about the content. I learn well with his teaching style.

How did you feel about the cold calling?

If you read my response to this in my introductory post from last semester, I mentioned how I was nervous about cold calling despite Professor Downing’s reassurance that his intention is to help us learn and feel engaged, not to interrogate or degrade us. Now, it doesn’t bother me at all because there is nothing to be afraid of at all.

What made you happy this week?

An engineering deliverable I was assigned for the Texas Convergent website was recently merged and has significantly helped make content on the site editable through admin-only slack commands! I’m glad my contribution will help make things easier for future Convergent board members :D
I also tried matcha soft serve (with mochi balls) for the first time at Meccha Matcha! Unfortunately, I was too excited to try it that I forgot to take pics, but I did manage to get a quick video of it (featuring some friends) before I completely devoured it.