Empowerly

Student profile

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (650 words)

On, crash, off; on, crash, off.  An ongoing aggregating cycle, one in which I felt trapped as I fruitlessly attempted to run mods on Minecraft, which are alterations that change some aspect of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves.  While only slightly more graphic intensive than the generic Minecraft world, my dad’s nearly decade old Dell was not going to cut it for me much longer. At the time, I had little knowledge about the parts within a computer, and dipping my feet into the realm of computer modifications was quite unnerving.  I worried about the graphics card not fitting into the PCI-E slot, or the performance upgrade not being enough.  Eventually, my research via forums on Tom’s Hardware, Linus Tech Tips and Reddit, gave me the confidence to purchase a GTX 960: the best bang for your buck under $250.  I soon came to the realization that my understanding of computer components was limited to the feedback of others who had purchased them, rather than an a solid technical understanding I had built myself. This is where my captivation for assembling computers began.

Ten months later, my computer was failing while playing Fallout 3. I had played Fallout 1 and 2, which were top-down open world games, and I was extremely excited to see how the series would adapt this post-apocalyptic world into 3D.  Ready to throw my resources at anything that would allow me to play this critically acclaimed game, I decided it was time to upgrade my motherboard and CPU to a Z97 and i5 4690K, respectively.  However, my current case could not fit the motherboard, so I would need to upgrade this as well.  Right after buying the parts, I checked my bank account.  My heart sank as my savings dwindled: $5.72. I lived in self doubt and regret for a week as I restlessly waited for the parts. When the parts arrived, I quickly brought them up to my room. Working on my PC non-stop, breaking only for meals and sleep, the process became so engrossing that I forgot my original intention to play the game.  I made the a couple mistakes along the way, such as placing the CPU in the wrong direction, or screwing in the motherboard with the wrong screws. In the end, the risk in purchasing these expensive supplies was well worth it as my computer was faster than ever, and it was exciting to know that I had built it with my own hands.

This research and practice has translated into a passion to contribute to assisting others in learning about computers.  Since then I’ve helped multiple friends build a PC under a tight budget. I participated in tutoring kids learning Scratch, which is a very simplified version of coding to help understand the fundamentals of coding. I went further to explore the software aspects of computers by interning at a website development firm called Danico Enterprises, harnessing programming languages like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, occasionally creating and updating our clients’ websites. I still do not fully understand each component of a PC, and I understand that my research and contributions so far are a mere stepping stone to understanding the field of computers. With a major in Computer Engineering,  I can further my interest in hardware and expand by learning about software to intertwine with the hardware of devices to solve the everyday engineering problems we face. The architecture and systems necessary to create elaborate systems for our technology needs is still being developed, and I am fascinated to be at the forefront to create the solutions necessary to advance the field.