Striving for success has always been one of my goals in life. My mother never limited me in my questions of life and the wonders the world holds. Since my childhood technology has always fascinated me with its capability of growth within a few years. I consider myself to be similar to technology in that I have seen much growth within my academic and professional life.
High school proved to be just a stepping-stone into a more completive world of university study. At Elizabeth City State University I was able to explore my interests in technology, specifically in Computer Science. My classroom environment stimulated my mind and often excited me to research farther into a topic sometimes causing more questions than answers. Programming seemed natural to me because involved creativity and structured procedure at the same time. Often I would try to add interesting aspects to program assignments to see if I could push the standards of quality within the classroom. More was always expected from me because I was in the Honors program at ECSU and I always delivered more both in and out of class.
When not participating in class I often participated in the campus Computer Science Club. Soon I found myself becoming President of the club and leading others into research topics in Computer Science. The club meetings offered a forum for students to ask questions. I personally used my experiences to help guide others in their choices and decisions. These types of meetings only happen once or twice a month, which allows me the time to pursue research opportunities.
Research has played a vital role in my growth as a student. I have participated in the Office of Naval Research (ONR) program at Elizabeth City State University since I was a freshman. I have participated in system administration and networking team projects for the past three years. My research projects have allowed me to gain a vast wealth of knowledge that cannot be attained in a classroom, but only through laboratory exposure. While in the research teams I have participated as a follower and as a leader, which has given me better understanding of teamwork. These research projects have given me focus in my studies within my field and have greatly motivated me to strive for a graduate degree in Computer Science specifically gaining more knowledge in networking.
My summer research experience has also given me focus and motivation for a graduate degree. My summers of my freshman and sophomore years afforded me opportunities to intern with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. There I studied photometrics for an experimental new battlefield technology. The research results proved valuable to growth of the project and after my second summer a consultant was hired to continue my research for a longer duration. The summer of 2002 I completed my research with NASA Ames in Mountain View, CA. At NASA Ames I interned with the NASA Research and Education Network (NREN). There I learned a great deal more about networking with high-speed connections. The work was truly enjoyable to me and was an experience I will continue to learn from.
With the past research experience and talks with professors in my department a graduate school degree is an asset to someone that is truly interested in knowing more about the subject of Computer Science. The field of networking in Computer Science has proven to be a great interest to me as a professional student in academia and with the help of a graduate school I hope to turn this interest into a life long career.