I never considered computer science as a possible career

NAME: Allison Limke
CLASS YEAR: 2020
HOMETOWN: Rockton, Illinois
MAJORS: Computer science and math

INVOVLEMENT ON CAMPUS:  EARTH Club, Kappa Gamma Epsilon math honor society, and Spiritual Life and Campus Ministry

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE WARTBURG:  I was looking at a bunch of different colleges, but what stuck out to me the most about Wartburg is that when I visited here, I always felt really valued and I liked the small community. It felt like the right fit for me.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR MAJOR: Freshman year, I started at Wartburg as an undecided major. My adviser was Dr. Mariah Birgen, who saw potential in my math skills and recommended that I take Introduction to Computers and Programming, as it is a required course for the math major. Before the course, I never considered computer science as a possible career or interest for myself as I had never been exposed to the subject or encouraged to pursue it. In fact, I was not excited to take it at all. However, after completing the course, I continued to work on my final project because I was excited about applying my new skills and adding new features to the game I had developed in Python. I was excited about the creative outlet that computer science offered me, so I eagerly signed up to take the next course in the program.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: After graduation, I will attend graduate school at North Carolina State University for computer science.

HOW HAS WARTBURG SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR FIELD: Wartburg has taught me how to be a problem solver and how to ask the right questions.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WARTBURG MEMORY: I really enjoyed my trip to Germany. I went on the Historical Roots of Math and Physics trip. My favorite memory from that trip is the time I spent with my host family. I had a great host mom and she had connections to Waverly which was neat, and she taught me about the German culture.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS: Don’t be scared to take classes outside of your major. I think I learned an equal amount from my general education classes and the classes within my majors. It is important to have a diverse range of skills and interests even if it’s not something that you are going to do in your job later.

WHY IS WARTBURG WORTH IT: I have made great connections with the professors, and they’ve supported me throughout all my experience here. They helped me get connected with my internship experiences and taught me incredible life lessons.