Fahim

Certified Tutor

As a child, whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I usually answered with "firefighter," or "police officer." I would have never imagined myself now, three years into college, studying computer science to become a software developer. I never thought that the STEM field was an option for me because growing up in Saipan, CNMI, we had limited opportunities, especially with majority of the population being at or below the poverty level, my family included, as well as our public school systems lacking many resources that were fundamental to our growth and motivation. Yet despite the adversities, I always had a long-term goal to one day be successful, not only for myself or my family, but for my community as well. From excelling in my high school academics, to being involved in as many extracurricular activities, all I knew was that one day I wanted to be someone who could make a difference in a person's life. My vision has always been strong especially because my immigrant father sacrificed his whole life to give me a life that he did not have, and I intend to make him and my community proud.
On my journey to accomplish my goals, I ended up growing more as a person in college once I became immersed in an environment with like-minded individuals. As my junior year approaches its end, my next step is to take an algorithmic analysis course, a challenging, but an essential part of my degree which can possibly open doors for opportunities from top internship companies. To further my skills to advance in my career, I saved up money from my work-study jobs, on and off-campus, to afford self-study academic books such as "The Python Quick Syntax Reference" and "HTML5 and CSS3 All-in-One for Dummies." Also, during the weekends, I aim to create portfolio websites with HTML to slowly gain my confidence. From being a novice programmer to being able to actually do and understand what I know now, my journey has inspired my next personal and professional goal of continuing my education after obtaining my bachelor's degree and working towards getting a successful software developer role with a company that works with marginalized communities.
Furthermore, with my degree and experiences, I hope to inspire, and help underrepresented demographics, including my community back home in Saipan, by teaching programming disciplines and a range of topics in computer science to the youth, in order to spur an interest in those who might never otherwise think to pursue CS or STEM studies. I also hope to use my expertise in creating functioning engagement software and resources for non-profit organizations battling issues on public-school funding, achievement gaps, or racial equality. Being able to code is a powerful skill, but the profession is not accessible to all, therefore the industry is yet to be diverse. As a future developer, I will work to educate people about diverse histories, languages, and outcomes, so we can solve real problems with technology.