Professional Statement

The enthusiasm I have for computers developed at the age of eight. At the time, I was fascinated at the idea of one machine being able to perform hundreds of tasks. Over time, the understanding of a computer being more than just icons on a screen developed. This was the inspiration I found to turn this passion into a career.

I started my journey by enrolling in various computer-related courses while in high school. In addition, four summers were spent in the NSF HBCU Undergraduate Program hosted by Mississippi Valley State University where my enrollment still continues. The majority of awards received were from Computer Science classes taken each summer. Alice, an object oriented program, and C++, an object oriented programming language, would be introduced and learned for future use. As a result of the success and things learned in the program, it was not difficult choosing this field as a major which is a decision I will not regret in the future.

In the summer of 2010, I worked as an intern in the Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science held on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. As a member of the polar grid team, we researched the generation of prime numbers through high performance computing infrastructure. The project required that a prime number generator program be created so it could be uploaded onto VikeGrid, a computer clustered hosted by the university. The experiment proved to be a success with the help of Mr. Je'aime Powell, the team's mentor who was also responsible for teaching on how to use certain programs such as NetBeans and Eclipse. Outside of research, skills such as boating and water sampling were acquired. Overall, this program increased my computer and researching abilities.

My ultimate goal has always been to work with computers for a living. Choosing this particular field was never a difficult choice. On the hand, there would be a need to select a certain career path. After much thought, it was decided that computer science was the best possible choice based on past participation in the summer program and familiarity with the field. In addition, programming in past computer science courses has always presented challenges. Fortunately, I have a great desire for challenges. However, my love for working with computers is even greater.

Upon graduation from MVSU, I plan to enter graduate school the following fall. Currently, there is strong personal aspiration to earn a Master's degree in the field of hardware or software engineering. Depending on which option is chosen, a job in that area for a major company would be the next career move. I am also open to the idea of performing research independently or for an organization. Until then, I will continue to be diligent and persistent in my future endeavors.