Hi everyone! My name is Serena, and I’m a freshman from Duncan. I’ve decided to major in Computer Science and am considering a minor in Engineering Design (still exploring!). After the first week of classes, I found that the ones I initially chose were very theoretical with little practical application, which felt a bit overwhelming 🙁 So, I dropped one class and picked up Engineering Design!

I haven’t designed many physical objects before, but virtually, I’m proud to have written some apps with thousands of lines of code in high school with my friends. I only learned basic Python before starting, so all the code I wrote was self-taught. I’m proud of my perseverance in learning day and night. As for physical projects, I’ve crafted a ukulele and designed a mini wooden guitar used for holding picks.

I chose Engineering Design because I’m not satisfied with only designing virtual objects. I’ve actually wanted to create physical things since middle school, but I never got around to learning how. I love watching short videos, especially ones where people customize objects to suit their needs. For example, when my cat is home alone for days, I wish I could design a device to automatically provide him with a precise amount of food and water, as there’s nothing suitable on the market right now. In ENGI 210, I hope to make my hands more skillful!