My Café Coding Experience by Naji

My Café Coding Experience by Naji - August 2013 Scholarship Essay

Although the story that I am about to recount to you did not happen in a classroom per se, I ended up discovering the reason why I enjoy computer programming so much.I spent that particular day like this...Sitting on a comfy couch in my favorite café, my relationship with technology is anything but romantic. I continue to debug my code, but an annoying error keeps appearing. “[Archival power] is undefined.” Since I’ve been so focused on the overall objective of the program, I’ve failed to pay attention to each small component. Even after writing software for a couple of years, I run into this problem from time to time.Now, I’m faced with a pesky error that has probably spread throughout the whole program. I need to find the source of “[Archival power] is undefined.” Eyes glued to the screen, I scroll through thousands of lines of code hunting for the bug. Could the user interface module be corrupt? Did I overlook memory allocation? Tired of looking, I order my second latte.I talk to a student sitting next to me. I play solitaire. I reply to a few emails.An hour later, I sip the last of my coffee. Aha! I finally spot the issue. “Archival” should have been spelled “Archrival.” I’m grinning from ear to ear, excited that I finally fixed the error. The satisfaction that comes with solving problems is why I love to code. Although code debugging can sometimes be frustrating, the gratification of knowing that others will benefit from the final product makes it worthwhile.Last summer, students played the beta version of a synthetic biology iPhone game that I developed at UC Davis in collaboration with Professor Tagkopoulos. The students’ enthusiasm for learning made me want to create more iPhone apps that will educate young minds. I’m eager to start a software company that designs educational games for students around the world.My long-term goal is to assemble a team to set up a foundation that helps bridge the “digital divide” in the United States. The aim will be to get underprivileged youth excited about computers and technology. I hope sharing my knowledge will inspire them to become future computer scientists.