Cohort Stories: Meet Obyat
vol. 5, no. 1 — guest post by Obyat Abdelrahman
The milestones to my arrival at Hack.Diversity are broad and diverse. I initially attended Middlesex Community College as I could not financially afford enrolling in a four-year university. Unsure of my major, I began taking a variety courses seeking a specific field of interest. After a few years, I had narrowed down my choice to either medicine or engineering. Within a few semesters, I noticed my main interest lied in math-based sciences rather than natural sciences. I enjoyed problem solving tremendously. At that point I decided to pursue engineering. In the beginning, computer science was very challenging and unclear to me as it was very different than any natural science I’d studied previously. Breaking down a large project into small components such as classes, methods, variables, etc. was one of the most difficult aspects for me. I began asking senior computer science majors for advice, and they informed me computer science was difficult for them as well. I’ve learned that it takes time for anyone to adapt to the theoretical and computational thinking required to succeed in this major. After several years of practice within the computer science curriculum, things started becoming clearer, and programming started becoming easier. As a Teaching Assistant for CS 450: Structure of Higher-Level Languages, I have been imparting the skills I’ve learned on this journey. I’ve seen many of my students change their programming techniques to things I’ve taught them; such as test-driven development, which can drastically reduce time spent working. As a member of Hack.Diversity I welcome the opportunity to learn from my colleagues as well as impart my knowledge to new and upcoming members of our community.
I have always had a deep passion for science and mathematics. Although initially unsure of which field of science to pursue, I continued my study of science. I studied chemistry, physics, physiology, biology, psychology, etc. I enjoyed learning more about how the world works, yet I had a passion for more. I took my first CS110 course at UMass Boston in search of something I would forever enjoy. I found computer science to be the culmination of both my love for science and math.
This field is particularly different as it allows me to create new and fascinating technology using my computer. No other field gave me as much joy as creating an app and sharing it with my family and friends to show them what I had created.
What motivates me the most is my community. I was first inspired by Professor Cogumbreiro who invited me to contribute to his research. Having a professor believe in my technical skills allowed me to feel confident enough help some of my classmates in his class. After taking notice of my interest in tutoring, he offered me a teaching assistant position. Being a TA allowed me to be a mentor and leader to over 80 computer science students. My students began to look to me for guidance in other courses they were taking. Courses in which I am not a TA. Having a community of students view me as a leader in these courses inspired me to excel. Tutoring students was greatly beneficial as it allowed me to identify and tweak inefficient learning habits in my students as well as in myself. Some of my students who were struggling the most in CS450, began to follow my pedagogic advice and joined me during office hours every week. Students who had poor grades in the beginning of the semester developed great programming skills such as test-driven development and received high grades in the later assignments. Just as my professors first inspired me to follow my potential, I was able to help my students and myself grow.
