Nhat Dao changed his major to Computer Science after he realized that programming can help me make an impact on everything almost immediately. Today, Nhat is a software engineer at Flywheel Building Intelligence and serves as a Bold Idea mentor every Thursday afternoon.
Mentor Monday: Meet Sreyas
Since childhood, Sreyas Karayi Vengilat has been interested in computers - especially computer games. He always wondered how computers worked and how to create his own game. Today, he is a Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer at T-Mobile, where he uses automation tools like Selenium Webdriver and Java to test web applications.
Mentor Monday: Meet Daniel
Daniel Lozano mentors Bold Idea students at Rosemont International Language School in Dallas. His most memorable mentoring moment was working with one student who often seems to be distracted. During one session, Daniel and other mentors asked him specific, well-thought out questions to make him consider many facets of a problem at the same time. The student went quickly from being distracted in general to intensely focused and productive. That taught Daniel that the students certainly have the capacity to think critically, even if they appear not to be interested. The difference is motivation. Everyone is motivated by different things, and learning what motivates someone is a powerful tool for a mentor.
What Too Much Screen Time Means For Your Kids
Kids are among the most digitally savvy consumers on the planet. The amount of screen time they accumulate in the course of a year is staggering compared to the years before the iPad and iPhone existed. What is all this extra technology doing to your kids? How is it shaping their world and their minds?
Mentor Monday: Meet Benjamin
Bold Idea mentor Benjamin Acker first started programming (JAVA) as a college freshman. When he ran his first program he felt as though he had landed in the world of Harry Potter and had been given his first wand. Ever since, he's been delighted by how much mathematics and analysis can be automated via programming.
6 Areas of Study that Blend Well with Computer Science
Pair Programming Creates Better Code
Be Weird
Great minds of the past challenged our ideas of what is possible. Sending people to the moon, a computer that fits in our pocket and global communication. History is filled with people who thought differently and challenged the status quo. They may have even been called weird.
At Bold Idea, we champion weird. It’s thinking differently, being unique and surprising yourself with every idea that you come up with.
3D Game Development: September Update
The ideaSpark gaming course is delivered in two parts this school year. During the fall semester, students are learning the basics in programming and game development. They will learn to create 3D characters and games starring their characters. With the basics under their belt, students will have more creative freedom in the spring semester to create their own unique 3D game, with support from their mentors and teammates.
Mentor Monday: Meet Amy
Amy Czuchlewski is a member of the Bold Idea Board of Directors and also serves as a mentor for our CS First program. Skilled in mobile technologies and building effective engineering teams, Amy is the VP of Engineering at Bottle Rocket.
Bringing her passion for equitable access to computer science education, especially among girls, she is a strong asset to the Bold Idea team.