Showcase 1: Honors Growth Reflection
This showcase focuses on my growth from freshman to graduation as an Honors student. It includes my original I Am statement, I Want To Become statement, and engaged learning plan, as well as updated statements and a journey map.
I Am and I Want to Become
When I took HON-H 200 in the second semester of my freshman year, I was confident in my academic abilities but unsure about my social skills and future career. Having only just turned sixteen, I was nervous about connecting with my fellow students and interviewing for internships and campus jobs, but I planned to get involved in activities at IU Indianapolis and in the Honors College to improve my confidence and career knowledge.
Freshman Year, Spring 2023
I am a logical and creative thinker who loves to develop projects and solve problems, especially in the fields of math and computer science. I stay dedicated to completing classwork, contribute to the community through volunteering, and lead groups when I can. I enjoy many creative hobbies, such as drawing and playing piano, and love learning in all aspects of life. I stay inspired by finding people to look up to, which gives me an ideal for what I want to do and become.
Currently, I consider myself a hardworking student with both logical and creative skills who tries to stay engaged in my learning. However, I tend to struggle with talking to new people, and I am uncertain of what I want to do after college. Over the next few years, I will work on these difficulties to become a more confident and career-skilled individual with a plan for my future.
One quality I hope to improve upon during my time in the Honors College is my self-confidence and comfort in new environments. I am an introvert who struggles with talking to people and is often stressed out by the idea of trying something new. Though this is something I doubt I will ever be wholly comfortable with, I can become more practiced in adapting to new situations and more confident in my ability to do so.
My other main goal is to develop skills that will help me in my career and decide on a path for my future. Right now, I am still not sure what aspect of computer science I want to work in, or if I will want to go to graduate school before entering the workforce. I hope that my time in my classes at IUPUI will help me decide what my next step will be after college. Additionally, through internships, research, and leadership opportunities, I can become more knowledgeable about what a job in computer science entails, which I can use in my decision-making process. The experience I gain will make me more prepared for my career and will also be extremely useful when I start applying for jobs.
Senior Year, Spring 2026
I am a logical, creative individual who is passionate about making changes for the better through problem-solving, leadership, and computer science. I am knowledgeable about a variety of computer science topics and have gained valuable experience in software engineering and data analytics through internships where I was able to make a real impact at different companies. I love learning and helping others to learn, and I have been able to guide other computer and data science students in their learning journeys in various teaching assistant roles. I believe in connecting with others over their passions and have helped to create a social and career-building space for other students with the same enthusiasm for computer science as a leader in the Computer Science Club. I look for different ways to contribute to the community and volunteer with meaningful organizations to give back. Although being in unexpected situations can make me nervous, I am skilled at adapting to them. I have a variety of interests outside of computer science, from mathematics to game design to Latin, and pursue learning opportunities wherever I can. Although there are many things yet for me to learn, I have the confidence, the knowledge, and the network to keep growing wherever my career takes me.
Beyond college, I want to keep learning about computer science and gain more experience in my field. I want to pursue a master's degree in computer science to dive even deeper into the subject and engage further in research. I still don't have an exact title that I want to pursue in my career, but I've realized that, as a lifelong learner, exploring a variety of careers in the field of computer science is the right path for me. I plan to continue working in software engineering or data analytics at first and keep upskilling to stay well-rounded in my field. As I graduate from college and become more independent, I want to keep in touch with the network I have built at IU Indianapolis and utilize the confidence and social skills I have gained to continue making connections and friends wherever I end up.
Looking back at the start of my college experience, I was very unsure of myself and how to confidently interact with others, both in social and career settings. Although I considered this as a flaw to overcome, in retrospect, it was completely understandable that I was still finding my path when I started college so young. As I have gotten older and found more ways to get involved on campus and in the community, I have grown more than I ever thought I could and now feel prepared for my next step in my career and my life.
Engaged Learning Plan
One component of HON-H 200 was coming up with an engaged learning plan, focusing on opportunities I wanted to experience while in college to help me improve skills for my future career and planning when I would complete them.
One of my top engaged learning priorities is gaining career experience through an internship. This connects with my Honors identity because I am diligent and want to get more practice working with others on a team. I will be able to get a better idea of what a job in computer or data science is really like on a day-to-day basis, which will help me to decide on a path for my future. Additionally, through this experience, I can improve my time management skills and accountability. I plan to apply for internships that take place during either my sophomore or junior year, preferably over the summer. This would primarily help me to develop as a problem solver through analyzing information and solving problems with it.
Another engaged learning experience I hope to complete while at IUPUI is working on some kind of research project. I consider myself naturally curious and would love to get a chance to look for answers to difficult questions through research. Along with the career knowledge I gain from my internship, doing research will help me to decide if I am more interested in getting a master's degree and potentially a doctorate or joining the workforce sooner. Through this experience, I hope to gain a better understanding of interdisciplinary work and learn more about how research teams operate. I aim to complete this experience in my sophomore or junior year, depending on when I get an internship. This will most help me develop my ability to innovate, since I will need to persevere and overcome challenges by coming up with creative solutions.
Finally, I want to get more involved in a civic engagement opportunity that I am passionate about long-term. This is important to me because I want to be able to help others when I can and gain more awareness about social problems. While I have been volunteering at Paws Pantry over the past few months and have greatly appreciated my time there, I hope to do something different and become more deeply involved with an organization, possibly a library or museum, since I highly value education. I plan to start researching places to volunteer over this summer and get started early in my sophomore year. Through this experience, I will learn more about and get more involved with contributing to the local community.
As I had planned, I applied for internships during my sophomore year that would take place the following summer and was hired as a Software Product Operations Intern at Allied Solutions. To broaden my knowledge and explore different career options, I applied for more internships the following year and worked as a Software Engineer Intern at Tenon in the summer of 2025.
I have also gotten involved in research on campus, although it was both earlier and later than I had originally anticipated. During my sophomore year, I worked on a project with the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute, focusing on the use of VR for collaboration. I took a break from research during my junior year, but I started working as a research assistant on the CyberWater project during my senior year.
During my sophomore year, I began volunteering in collection support at the Indianapolis Public Library, supporting the community while giving back to an organization that I valued. I also found ways to give back to the IU Indianapolis community by getting involved in leadership with student organizations like the Computer Science Club and Luddy Student Council.
Photo with fellow Tenon interns at first internship social event.
Photo with research poster at Research and Creative Activities Day presentation.
Engaged Learning Plan highlighting key experiences during my time at college.
Overall, I am proud of the accomplishments and experiences I had during my time at IU Indianapolis. I was more deeply involved than I had planned, finding multiple internship and research opportunities, leading student organizations, and guiding students in teaching assistant positions. After graduation, I hope to continue my involvement in research in a master's program, and I will make sure to keep learning and finding ways to support my community beyond college.