UCSB Engineering
Shannon Murphy - Chemical Engineering
Michael Rosengarten - Computer Science
Maximiliano Ramirez Luna - Computer Engineering
Virginia Shields - Mechanical Engineering
Kyle Stewart - Electrical Engineering
Melissa Gross - Computer Science
Antonio Oritz - Chemical Engineering
Eric Martin - Mechanical Engineering
Danielle Morton - Electrical Engineering
Jason Oberg - Computer Engineering
Alina Warner - Chemical Engineering
Christopher Kyle Hall - Computer Science

“UCSB is a very high-achieving academic school and looking around it is easy to see that the student population is highly intelligent and driven, but yet at the same time the atmosphere is very laid back and low stress, which was very refreshing for me.”

Melissa Gross

Melissa Gross
Computer Science

Why I chose UCSB
The atmosphere very naturally drew me to this campus; UCSB is a very high-achieving academic school and looking around it is easy to see that the student population is highly intelligent and driven, yet, at the same time, the atmosphere is very laid back and low stress, which was very refreshing for me.

What I study
I began studying computer science actually as a result of something my dad said. As I was completing my college applications, my dad mentioned that I might like computer science, since I liked both my high school math and science classes, as well as creating and finding structure and patterns. And so I went ahead and declared Computer Science on my application and I’m two years into the program and really loving it. I won’t say it wasn’t a struggle at first, but I have learned a great deal and am constantly amazed by how exciting and innovative this field is.

Working with friends
I think my favorite academic experience was this last quarter in one of my computer science classes. We had a deadline for a programming assignment and it was coming down to the wire for all of us, so we all ended up in the computer lab at the same time. We were just swapping problems and advice back and forth, and it made for a really fun and exciting group dynamic. The spirit of collaboration is one of the things I like best about my classes; I’ve found a lot of help from my peers, and we all just try and help each other as much as we can.

Future plans
I am eager to start working in industry as soon as I graduate. I’m really trying to find an internship this summer and I’m hoping that this will lead me to connections with companies that will eventually result in job offers.

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