Petering out of High School and into College
31 Aug 2025
When someone asks me to talk a little bit about myself, I typically don’t know where to start. That being said, when someone asks me a specific question, I can go on and on for days. When I’m asked to talk about my experience with software engineering, I know I have to start with the basics.
Beginnings
Growing up, my Dad has worked in IT, and I’ve seen and heard him talk about his job. Additionally, I’ve been interested in computers since I started playing Minecraft and Roblox on my old MacBook. When my best friend mentioned he was taking AP Computer Science sophomore year of high school, it was a no brainer joining him. That class introduced me to some new friends, and endless versions of Wordle. I probably spent more time playing competetive Wordle than I did coding. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like coding. I enjoyed working through new problems, learning what felt like a new language, and most importantly buildin something of my own from the ground up. As the end of the year came up, I had to take the AP test. I sat near some Seniors who already knew where they were going to college, and so they didn’t take it that serious. Keep in mind, this was peak Wordle time. This meant I didn’t study much, and so when I got my score back from the AP test and got a 4, I knew I was good enough to take more classes.
Jumping forward to college, I am very interested in Computer Science, and want to combine that with another major that I can use to build even more things! That’s why I chose to do a double major in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering. While I new that it was going to be very difficult, the hidden plus was the ego boost that came with realizing I was the first student to do this at UHM since STAR released.
Nowadays
As I entered my second year of college, I was starting to settle into my niches of what I enjoy about Software Engineering. I knew I wanted to combine it with ME, and I’ve always dreamed of working in Aerospace or Automotive engineering, so I thought there were two paths I could take. The first one was embedded software, which I decided to dip my toes in by volunteering to work with HSFL on a CubeSat. The second was simulations engineering, which I tested the waters in the previous summer by building a SPH real-time particle simulation (find out more here).
This leaves us now, with me taking ICS311, ICS314, ME213, and ME271. Some of the things I’m most excited to learn is getting my hands on some mechatronics in 213, working on my embedded software skills with HSFL, and just being in school in general. Next on my list is studying abroad in Japan for the Spring 2026 semester, where I will be taking plenty of ME classes, alongside trying my best to get past the HSL requirement for graduation.