Year in Review: Summer 2015-Spring 2016

          After finishing my first co-op rotation at Fifth Third Bank during Spring 2015, I was more than ready to get back to classes, even if it meant not having much of a break during the summer. The only CS courses I had were Data Structures and Discrete Computational Structures, the latter of which has turned out to be one of my favorite classes at UC thus far. I also took Technical Writing and Jammin' with Laptops to get some more BoKs out of the way, along with the honors seminar Rare Books and Manuscripts. During the summer semester, I became much better at getting help from my professors, and using their office hours even if there was just one small thing I was confused about. And it certainly paid off for my Discrete Structures class, as Dr. B became one of my favorite professors, and I ended up getting 100% on his final exam! Overall, the summer semester was a successful end to my sophomore year at UC.

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          For the fall semester 2015, I started my second co-op rotation, back at Fifth Third. I had all of the same responsibilites as my first rotation, with a little more initiative tacked on for good measure. I was able to be more independent with my work, in that I didn't always have to send my work to a coworker before passing on the final result. In addition to some new work, the data analytics team had two new members that had been hired during my absense, so it was exciting to be around to see the department grow and expand, and, in a way, to be an original member of the team. Other than co-op during the fall, I was still able to take a day off here and there in order to travel to several hackathons throughout the semester. My usual team and I went to hackathons at Kent State and Ohio State universities, where we continued to work on our computer science skills with brand new projects (which you can read more about under the Experience tab).

 

          Coming back to classes for the spring, I was enrolled in three CS classes: Software Engineering, Programming Languages, and Database Design & Development. These were all appropriately challenging courses that helped me get an even better understanding of my major, and to get different perspectives on what exactly I can do with my degree after graduation. I also took the co-op community class, which was very useful in hearing from my classmates about their co-op experiences, as well as getting first-hand advice from my advisor about building a portfolio, and other beneficial co-op topics. During the semester, I also started the job search again for a summer co-op for 2016. A majority of my classmates were remaining in their previous positions, but I had gotten all that I could from my time at Fifth Third and I decided it was time to look for something new. However, after a seemingly endless amount of phone interviews, my co-op search was less than fruitful, and I was unable to acquire a position for the summer semester. I did snag a position for my last two rotations, though, at Scenario Learning in Cincinnati, and I am very excited to find out what that job has to offer.  

 

          In addition to the aforementioned courses and co-op search, I also took an honors seminar with a study tour component. It was a class called World Folklore and Traditions, with a week-long tour in Iceland over spring break. That seminar has become one of the most memorable experiences at UC to date. Even though I often dreaded having to get up for a Saturday class, it was more than worth it. It was very rewarding getting to know 19 other students from a wide variety of disciplines, and even though the class has been over for months, we still talk to each other every day. Going into it I was worried that I was spending too much time and money on this non-major class, but I was allowing myself to accomplish one of the goals I came to college with, which was to travel. Even if it was just for a week, it was to one of the destinations on my travel bucket list, and with the bonus of learning about a topic that I am genuinely interested in: world folklore. So needless to say, I am definitely on the lookout for another opportunity to travel with the honors program! 

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          I am amazed at how much progress I have made in the past year academically, socially, and professionally. Even though I do not have a position for the summer, I am spending my time honing my academic skills and finding a part-time job that I can continue during my academic semesters. I am looking forward to see what my classes in the fall have to offer me, as well as my next co-op adventure with Scenario Learning next year.