Written by Omar Mandurah
My great teacher, Nora Smith, suggested that I should interview Luke, one of the IT guys. It was an idea for me to try something different, but also because we're both majoring in computer science. This is my first time doing something like this, and I hope I'm not embarrassing myself by writing this article. I wanted it to be casual, but I didn't want it to lose its sense of an "interview". Without further ado, here's a summary of my interview with Luke.
Luke is a senior at BU, studying computer science. He originally started out as a mechanical engineer, then he switched to economics, but now he's studying computer science with a huge focus on mathematics. Of course, there is more to everyone than their major or their job so I asked about his hobbies and interests. Luke has a liking for arts. As a kid, he liked drawing and painting, and he wanted to be a comic book artist or something like that. He also has a keen interest in music. Although he's still a fledgling at it, he enjoys playing the guitar. He likes listening to various types of music, from Rock, Indie, and Country to Electronic and Rap music. He also likes going to the gym.
Luke wasn't always the computer guy. His interest in technology developed in late high school to early college. According to Luke, it was pretty easy getting into all the tech stuff. So if you don't have any previous experience, no need for you to worry.
Luke grew up in Boston, or Cambridge to be more specific. He attended a local, public high school, that is described as a "typical American high school you see in movies", from freshman year till junior year. For senior year, he attended a private high school that was more liberal and artistic.
Luke definitely enjoys being a student at BU. He likes big, urban universities. Although, BU wasn't exactly known as a tech school. To him, it felt like it was more suited for business and communication. His dream school was Columbia University in NY. Luke enjoys working in the IT department at CELOP. "The people are nice," he said, but he doesn't plan to stay there after graduating, as most other students in the department do too. He would love to work in a big company such as Google or Apple, and he loves working with machines, algorithms, statistics, data, and software. He also really likes the idea of educational technology. The first computer he ever used was the original iMac G3.
Luke loves eating out, hiking or playing basketball/racquetball on the weekends. His favorite spot to hang out here in Boston/Cambridge is Harvard Square, and his favorite food is burritos.
Luke is pretty content with his life. He hopes to find a job in software engineering after he graduates from BU. He would like to continue his studies in Masters and PhD, but that'll be for later. I asked him "If you were to work for pleasure but not for money, what would you want to be?". He said that maybe he would open a coffee shop or a restaurant, or perhaps even be a writer. However, he still loves doing things involved with technology and research.
Finally, I asked him if he had been out of the U.S. He hasn't been anywhere too far. Out of the U.S. he had only been to Canada and Mexico. He is having plans to maybe go to Buenos Aires in Argentina for a job opportunity. Luke speaks a little bit of Spanish and he would love to learn more, but he thinks it's a bit quixotic.
That's about it for the interview. My notes weren't very organized so I apologize to Luke if any of the information is inaccurate. I didn't want it to be this boring "Q&A" style interview.
NOTE: IMAGES NOT TAKEN BY ME. ALL FROM GOOGLE IMAGES.
Culture Interview with Sattam Binkhalid
Here I introduce a 28 year old Swiss class mate, Gian, who has studied a masters of computer science. His first language is Romansh. His passion for learning the English language is what brings him to CELOP in Boston. He says the city of Boston has so many cultural activities, the environment is very literal.
