The first computer I owned was an HP Mini Laptop when I turned 10 in 2008. My Mother bought it for me as a gift, which surprised me. I was always into gaming, so I kind of expected to get a PlayStation 3. Nevertheless, I was excited. Rewind 2 years prior, I would often venture to DaPlanet, a local Computer Cafe that my Uncle would bring me to. It was here where my love for computers began. I would spend countless hours in front of the screen (DaPlanet would charge $1 for an hour on their PC’s), playing games like MapleStory, Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft. I would walk about a mile from my Grandmother’s home just to play some games (which doesn’t seem far, but when you’re 8 years old it is a pretty long walk).
Fast forward to High School, my friends and I would often talk about what we wanted to Major during college. Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about the different Major’s and decided to go to Honolulu Community College to pursue an Associate’s Degree in CENT (now called CSNT), or Computer, Electronics and Networking Technology. While there, I met a Professor named Bradley Ramos. Professor Ramos was a huge influencer in my life. He was always willing to help out and would give us insider knowledge of what he believes the job market is in need of.
After transferring from HonCC to UH Manoa, I had the goal of a B.S. in Computer Science in sight. Little did I know, Computer Science was insanely difficult. ICS 141 to be specific. Combining with my previous lack of motivation to study and get work done, and the fact that the course itself was very rigorous and required many hours outside of class to do well, I ended up withdrawing from the course. I was distraught. The degree that I planned on getting, now out of reach because I couldn’t pass a gatekeeper class. After some time in a slump I found out that Shidler offered the MIS degree. It was exactly what I wanted. Although this is my first actual semester in Shidler and in the MIS program, I have a bit of knowledge when it comes to Database Systems as well as Networking. Hopefully the classes that I took back at HCC can assist me in excelling in the curriculum that Shidler offers!