Preparing for a Bright Future as a Software Engineer

How did you choose Lander?

I was learning full time in Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah for three years post high school and was ready to start college. I was looking for a place that had a world-class dual curriculum with a top computer science department that would allow me to prepare for my career while maintaining a high standard of Torah learning. Lander is that place.

What is your ultimate career goal?

Software engineer

How did you become interested in this field?

I took a computer class in tenth grade in which I was introduced to programming, which I enjoyed tremendously. During that year, and in the years following, I came up with ideas for my own programs to code. I had fun writing programs for games such as 2048, brick-breaker and a statistics-based baseball game.

You’ve done multiple internships—one for a software company, and a research internship at the University of Illinois to improve internet accessibility for people with disabilities—can you share what you did and what you learned?

I had two internships this past summer. The first one was for a company who designs and maintains school management software, a system for high schools to keep track of grades, attendance and schedules. I helped develop it further by adding many features to it including a program to print and format student transcripts, as well as identifying and fixing bugs in the system.

The second internship was a research internship at the University of Illinois where I worked with a professor and doctoral students on a wonderful project to improve internet accessibility for people with disabilities. We created games which simulate how people with various disabilities experience the internet to help raise awareness of the difficulties they encounter. The successive rounds of the games add features designed to help people with disabilities improve their internet experience. An area of focus for this past summer was redesigning the games so they would be geared towards a younger audience, especially children in elementary school. Children often do not grasp the disabilities that the games are trying to highlight, and frequently are too excited to start playing that they do not read the instructions. To overcome these challenges, I added eye-catching reminders to read the instructions, audio for the instructions in case the player had trouble reading and helped reword some of the instructions to make them more child friendly. I also introduced a new page to each game that would explain the disability at the core of the game and how the given suggestions combat the issues at hand.

Do you do any community service or research?

As a member of the Lander Student Government, I assist in planning and running the school events that help bring the school together and keep everyone engaged. I am also the treasurer, helping manage the student government organization’s finances.

How is your Touro education helping propel your career?

Touro is providing me with the foundational knowledge in the computer science field, from which I can build my future career. The breadth of specialized and diversified computer courses offered by Touro are a great tool for me to use in finding my desired path and line of work. Additionally, the school’s Career Services provide important guidance and opportunities.