My name is La’Andrea Gates and I am a sophomore computer science major at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) located in Itta Bena, Mississippi. I always knew that I would study something pertaining to computers at a young age. This was solidified when I took part in the Technology Student Association (TSA).

I joined the Technology Student Association (TSA) my sophomore year in high school. TSA is a conference that hosts Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competitions at  regional, state, and national levels. TSA provides many events and workshops to learn more about networking, leadership, dedication, and values. After competing in several competitions, such as webmaster (web page design), desktop publishing, future technology teacher, chapter team, and tech bowl, I realized that I wanted to go in to the technology field. The opportunity was given to me to intern at Uncle Ben’s (Mars) in Greenville, Mississippi, where I learned and created spread sheets and learned about working in an office. Shortly after I graduated, I engaged in a STEM summer program at MVSU to get more clarification and a head start about my future college major.

To ensure my goals, I decided to further my education by attending Mississippi Valley State University majoring in computer science. My mentor, Timothy Holston, has pushed me, made more me determined, and opened my mind up to many possibilities. I went beyond given assignments to reassure myself that everything was truly understood. The spring of 2017 I attended the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in Washington, DC. My knowledge grew stronger pertaining to computer science as far as the material, jobs, and graduate school. The summer of 2017 I attended the Science Gateway Community Institute (SGCI) 4-week Coding Institute, where I learned R-Programming, UNIX Shell, Git, Python, and computer configurations. During this program, I attended the Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC) Conference Series.

After completing my undergraduate degree in computer science, I plan to further my education by pursing my master’s degree. Once I have completed my master’s degree, I once again would like to further my education by gaining a Doctorate Degree in Computer Science. I would like to enter the computer science field by working with a major corporation.