Throughout high school, I’ve always sought after the most challenging courses that my school offered, steering away from classes that I felt added little subsidence to my education, and starting my sophomore year, I began my journey of taking advanced placement (AP) courses, beginning with World History. From there, I would go on to take several AP courses including US History, Chemistry, Physics, English III, and finally Calculus. Of all these courses, the latter two presented the largest challenge, as they both transformed the way that I saw writing and math, respectively. Unlike many of my previous instructors, my English and Math teachers did not hold my hand. This was especially true with my math teacher since he graded me very meticulously and with little leniency. Through his strict grading and blunt lectures, my math teacher helped me overcome many of the bad mathematical habits I formed over the years, and he became a facilitator in affirming my desire to study computer science. However, while my teachers assisted me greatly, I can also attribute my success in school to my own capabilities to self-teach and help others. These traits elevated me to higher levels inside and outside of school, as they allowed to find the self-determination to teach myself the Java programming language which I then passed on to a friend. This hunger for knowledge has always been my core motivator to keep pushing forward.
