Explain your interest in the major you selected and describe how you have recently explored or developed this interest inside and/or outside the classroom. You may also explain how this major relates to your future career goals. 300-400 words



My nerves trembled as I stepped onto the platform to present my progress during my internship at H2O.ai, a Silicon Valley tech startup. I delved into my completed work, explaining every minute step in the process. It certainly was a strange feeling - I was presenting in front of dozens of experienced professionals. While delivering my presentation, I fell into a trance of speaking, sharing my enthusiasm for the work I accomplished and its potential uses in the company’s products.


I intend to major in computer science at UIUC. Throughout my internship, I was exposed to a multitude of coding languages and the foundation of machine learning when I developed a program that constructs dynamic random forests using D3.js, a JavaScript library for visualization. Currently in the process of being integrated into the company’s main code base, this serves as my first real contribution to the tech world. 


From building a computer when I was 8 to studying cutting-edge machine learning algorithms at 16, my passion for technology largely defines me. To apply my coding knowledge to another field, I created a final project in my AP CS class that analyzed the chemical structure of common household items, teaching students the nuances of the chemical reactions that occur around them. By using my knowledge of Java, and concepts taught in Chemistry honors, I created this interdisciplinary project as a means to utilize computer science as a useful learning tool.


Intrigued by machine learning applications such as self-driving cars and DeepMind’s AlphaGo project, I decided to explore the mechanisms of such amazing technology. Exploring beyond visualization software, I became fascinated by how machine learning can mine large amounts of data to predict results. Although I am still exploring my potential career goals, I am confident that I will remain in the field of data analysis and machine learning, mostly due to my vested interest in them.


With all of the innovations that ML has made possible, we are at the dawn of a new era, changing current paradigms as we know them. As a prospective UIUC student, I am excited to ride into this fun and challenging journey.