Liberal arts opportunities led me to my passion
NAME: Alexandra Wonyu
CLASS YEAR: 2023
HOMETOWN: Rouen, France
MAJOR: Computer Science
CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT: Google Developer Student Club Vice President, Computer Science Club, International Club, Phi Eta Sigma, Psi Chi, National Society of Leadership and Success Member
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR: I chose to come to the U.S. because I wanted a liberal arts education since, at the time, I didn’t know what I wanted to study, and we don’t really have that liberal arts education model in Europe. I initially chose psychology as my major, but I still wanted to explore other subjects because I felt that college was as good a time as ever to learn new things and take classes I otherwise wouldn’t. So, I took a lot of electives for fun in my first year, such as macroeconomics, a couple history classes, and graphic design. In my first semester of my second year, I took CS 120, the introductory computer science class, and I instantly loved it. I liked the rigor and attention to detail it took to do well, and I enjoyed how rewarding it felt to see my code work the way I wanted after putting in the work. Since I also found a certain aptitude for it, I decided to make it my major by the end of the semester. Even now, after three years, I’m still really passionate about it, especially because computer science is a very wide and constantly changing field, and there is always a lot to learn, which I love.
WHAT PART OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT: Right now, the area I am most passionate about is web development. I took an elective in web development one May Term, and thanks to that, my professor recommended me to do an internship for a local company, which I ended up doing for over a year, and which started my passion in web development. Eventually, I even chose web development as my main area of study for my senior project, and I have taken on side projects that focus on web development throughout the years as well.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION: I’m going to Drexel University in Philadelphia to get a master’s degree in software engineering.
HOW HAS WARTBURG PREPARED YOU FOR THE FUTURE: Along with the core courses of our major, electives such as internet programming, data wrangling, or artificial intelligence, are great opportunities to see what the different subfields of computer science are, and what you might want to specialize in later on. The senior project class is also a really useful class to take, as it gives you the opportunity to do your own software engineering project from start to finish, which is highly applicable in a real-world job setting. It gets you to set and meet your own deadlines, build something that other people can use, and learn lots of relevant technologies along the way. Something else that was useful for me was Orange Connection, an amazing program that allows you to shadow a professional in your field of study and network with Wartburg alumni. Thanks to this, I got a better understanding of what it’s like to work as a software engineer, and I was able to ask all the questions I wanted to ask. Additionally, my internship was a valuable opportunity to do real work for a real company, and I don’t think I’d feel as prepared to go into the workforce without this experience.
WHAT IS A PROJECT YOU ARE PROUD OF: At the Math Lab, where I work, we had to do a service project for the Wartburg community. My coworkers and I decided to gather useful resources for each class we tutor, and I suggested we put it all on one nice website for students to use so they can succeed in their math and computer science classes. Using some of what I learned in my internship and senior project, and teaching myself other technologies I needed, I created this Math Lab Resources website from scratch. When you go on the website, you pick one class you want resources for, for example Applied Calculus, and you will get a list of external resources, each with a description of what specific topic(s) it is useful for. There are many resources that students can pick from – videos, tutorials, online calculators, etc. – and we tried to cover topics that are actually covered in these classes and that are typically trickier for students to learn.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS: Definitely my senior project. I created a web app game where you first log into your Spotify account and choose any of your playlists. The game then gives you a random song from that playlist, and you have to guess the title after listening to a couple seconds of it. I liked the sense of accomplishment that came with completing my project. The fact that I put in all that work for all those weeks, and I did something I’m genuinely proud of all by myself was rewarding. It was also an amazing experience presenting it at RICE Day. I really enjoyed seeing all the people who took the time to stop by my station try my game and watching their reactions as they played. That alone made it all worth it.
HOW HAVE YOU EMBODIED WARTBURG’S FOUR PILLARS: One way I embodied the service pillar is through the aforementioned Math Lab service project. I hope the students can find the website I made and the resources we all gathered useful. Sometimes, students cannot get one-on-one help because the Math Lab is closed or their professors are not available. Sometimes, students might not feel comfortable asking for help, and so they might not get the help they need or have questions answered in time. Hopefully, the website becomes a new way for students to help themselves, and maybe it can inspire other departments to provide resources for their students in a similar way, as well.
WHAT IS ONE MEMORY YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER FROM YOUR TIME AT WARTBURG: My most memorable memory at Wartburg was IClub’s Culture Show in 2021. Back in high school, I was performing very often: my school had open mic nights every other week, and I had multiple musician friends who I could collaborate and get creative with. I was in choir and in an a capella group, and I even got to participate in a local singing competition one time, so singing on stage became a huge part of me. At Wartburg, I am not involved in any music ensembles, so I was really looking forward to Culture Show, even more so after the 2020 one got canceled. To be able to finally perform on stage again and show a new side of me to people made me feel like I was regaining a part of myself, and that was really powerful and liberating. That alone felt like a new start for me in my Wartburg journey. On top of this, it was my first time ever playing piano in front of an audience, and all the warm feedback, conversations, and friendship that this performance sparked made all this even more memorable.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR FUTURE COLLEGE STUDENTS: Get involved in as many things as possible. There are lots of other clubs I’ve been involved in aside from the ones mentioned here, such as a dance club, the student newspaper, or the Asian Student Association, and they are all a great way to find new interests or make new friendships, or even find your calling and discover lifelong passions. My other piece of advice would be to never be afraid to ask questions, and to get help whenever you need it. To paraphrase Dumbledore from Harry Potter, you’ll find that help will always be given at Wartburg to those who ask for it, and resources such as the Peer Learning Lab or the Student Success Center will readily offer help.
WHAT LEGACY DO YOU HOPE YOU LEAVE ON CAMPUS: Again, with the Math Lab website I created, I hope that current and future students will find this a useful resource, and that the Math Lab continues to keep it updated in the future. I also hope it encourages other departments and workplaces to find new ways to support their students beyond what they are already doing. Secondly, as a senior, I have tried my best to help any computer science underclassman who comes to me as much as I could, because I know how tough our field of study can be. And to the ones who seem truly passionate about learning computer science and getting better at it, I have made it a point to give them my own personal tips and advice, or to pass on opportunities that came across. Lastly, by being the Outstanding Senior in computer science, I hope to have provided representation to people who look like me or who have similar backgrounds. I noticed there haven’t been many international students or people of color who became Outstanding Seniors, and so I hope I can show future students like me that they can also achieve these kinds of things.