My CS 250 course provided basic fundamentals of programming, as well as introducing some concepts in python. It introduced elements like pointers, vectors, memory address allocating, and other intermediate topics within the realm of programming.  One of the optional projects we had the opportunity to partake in during the course was a Raspberry Pi programming competition. The competition consisted of creating a program to run on a micro computer and it would be presented with the other competitors. I made the choice to partake in this competition with an idea to make a video game that could recognize a player by their face, register high scores with each person, and have movement controls based on your face movement.

I had to learn how to code for a raspberry pi from the ground up, and ended up seeing my vision to the end. I won first place for this competition and gained invaluable experience in not only technical knowledge, but also communication and time management. Being a solo project, the communication was mainly with the professor leading the competition and the TA’s tutoring where needed. It showed me what skills I needed to succeed and innovate, truly allowing me to create anything I set my mind to no matter my prior knowledge. After getting first place, the professor invited me to help lead an undergraduate research project at the end of which I would present at a symposium. Not only did I gain excellent technical knowledge, but my understanding of how a project begins, develops, and concludes was solidified. It was truly the first time I had put the concepts learned throughout my college career into a real world application.

Attached is the ODU link to the research symposium entry listing my project, available via the ODU digital commons: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/undergradsymposium/2022/posters/13/