Retrospective Reflection
This reflection covers all of the previous showcases from this ePortfolio, exploring my development throughout college, connection to Honors College goals, and preparedness for my future career.
Introduction
When I started my journey at the Indiana University Indianapolis Honors College, although I was confident in my academic abilities and passion for computer science, I felt very unsure about my future in many ways. What courses I would specialize in, how I would connect with others, and where my career would take me all felt unclear. However, I knew that I needed to take charge of my future, and, with the help of my Intro to Honors course, developed a plan to stay engaged in my learning throughout my time at IU Indianapolis.
As I progressed through my degree, I sought out ways to get involved in the school community whenever I could, growing my confidence in my communication skills and allowing me to develop an invaluable network of friends and career connections. Now, with experience in student organization leadership, software engineering and data analytics internships, computer science research, cross-cultural collaboration, and more, I feel prepared to adapt for the next steps in my future.
Engaged Learning Plan highlighting key experiences during my time at college.
Communication and International Experience
Photo of IU Indianapolis and Haaga-Helia class students and instructors at the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.
One major Honors experience that has shaped my perspective was my study abroad trip to Finland. Collaborating extensively with students from both IU Indianapolis and the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki was an extremely valuable experience that helped me to stretch my collaboration and communication skills. Beyond that, traveling to Finland was a major test of my independence and confidence that I had been developing throughout my degree program, and diving deep into design thinking while immersing myself in Finnish culture was an amazing learning opportunity that helped me to achieve the Honors College’s goal of ensuring students participate in engaged learning, specifically international experiences, and go beyond the classroom to keep educating themselves. I learned so much about teamwork and navigating cultural differences in communication while practicing my web development skills in the spring course and was able to reflect carefully on ways to improve my future design work for accessibility and clarity for a wide audience. More artifacts from this experience and a deeper reflection on it are highlighted in Showcase 2.
Engaged Learning and Career Development
As someone fascinated by data, I also made sure to engage in opportunities to learn and practice data science skills beyond what was required for my degree. By taking a graduate-level data science statistics course, I learned fundamental concepts of inferential statistical analysis and applied them to a focused final project that required detailed, clear communication. Now, as a teaching assistant for the course, I am improving my communication skills and statistical knowledge even further by helping to guide students through the same conceptual challenges that I faced when taking the course. I took my learning even further beyond the classroom through internships that allowed me to apply my skills to real-life problems while learning from people highly experienced in my field and by joining the inaugural Xtern Challenge to practice designing and pitching a data pipeline from scratch while collaborating with students across a variety of majors and experience levels. One of the key goals of the IU Indianapolis Honors College is for students to be active participants in their intellectual experiences, pursuing knowledge and attempting to better themselves whenever possible rather than going through courses passively. By taking challenging classes and seriously applying the material to real-world problems as well as engaging in a variety of early career programs has allowed me to stay active in my learning.
Civic Engagement and Organizational Leadership
Another aim of the Honors College is for students to stay civically-minded, helping the community when they can and learning how to better help others. Taking on a leadership role in the Computer Science Club, first as treasurer and now as vice president, has been a key component of my undergraduate career that has allowed me to give back to the community and learn how to better help those around me and collaborate with fellow student leaders. Navigating the challenges of building a club for an entirely new major at IU Indianapolis was tricky, but by hosting a variety of social and career-building events and creating an online space for students to chat about computer science and ask each other questions, I and the other Computer Science Club officers have fostered a curious and collaborative community. We have even begun to reach out beyond the IU Indianapolis community by recently hosting a panel at North Central High School, educating STEM-interested high schoolers on some basic computer science topics and sharing our experiences with college and early career development. Helping to lead the Computer Science Club has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate career, and demonstrates my commitment to helping the community as best as I can.
Photo of IU Indianapolis Computer Science Club officers and members as well as other North Central High School alumni who participated in the CS Club-hosted outreach event at NCHS.
Impact of Honors
After four years as a part of IU Indianapolis and the Honors College, although I am once again nervous about quickly-approaching change, I feel prepared to adapt to whatever comes in my future and to forge a successful path. In Fall 2026, I will be beginning a master’s program in computer science at UC San Diego, which will allow me to find and explore a computer science specialization more deeply, build valuable career connections in one of the top U.S. tech hubs, and challenge myself further with advanced, fast-paced courses. At the beginning of my undergraduate degree, I would have likely found this daunting, but now, with the confidence, communication skills, civic-mindedness, and self-awareness I have been able to develop during my four years in the IU Indianapolis Honors College, I am excited for this next step in my academic and career journey and to see what opportunities come to me next.