Major: Computer Science
Profession: Software engineer, Google, Seattle
Hometown: Princeton Junction, New Jersey
What are you doing now?
"Building a cloud computing platform at Google scale. I ideate, design and code within a team of engineers to deliver a platform where developers can seamlessly build, scale, and run their web and mobile applications on Google's infrastructure."
How did you get there?
"I made the connection through an internship at Google my second year at Pomona. My academic advisor mentioned the opportunity to me, and because I had less than a year of coding experience at the time, I wrote my application essay about languages and the liberal arts of all things. That was just uncommon enough a perspective to set me apart, it seems, and here I am five years later."
How did Pomona prepare you?
"The obvious answer is Pomona's Intro to Computer Science course first taught me to code, but it's 20 percent that, 80 percent the intangibles. Above everything, I thank Pomona for teaching me the confidence to try, to question, and to fail, which are things I think every successful career needs. Pomona challenged me in many ways — from picking apart an idea with friends over lunch at Frary to doing research in a completely foreign field — and each new challenge encouraged me to trust myself a little more and to put myself out of my comfort zone a little farther."
Where do you see yourself in five years?
"At the intersection of technology and education. It's an area where there is enormous potential for impact, whether that means leveraging technology to teach, leveraging technology to better the education system, working to make computer science education more accessible, or simply teaching computer science."
Any advice for prospective or current students?
"Consider what you think is in your reach, and then reach one step farther. My biggest successes at Pomona and in my career came out of moments when I fought my doubts and overreached. It's how I first got into computer science, first met my closest friends, first got promoted, and everything in between."