CS371p Spring 2021: Maria Maynard

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Austin, Texas! I have in Austin my whole life, well Well Branch if you want to be specific, but my address still said Austin because Wells Branch is a MUD.

What high school did you attend?

I attended McNeil High School. It is part of Rock Rock ISD.

What was your favorite extracurricular activity in high school?

In high school, I loved to dance. I started dancing when I was 3, so when I got to high school I tried out for the dance team and was on the team for all 4 years. In my last two years of high school, I also started to do wrestling which I also loved. I might have gone to state my senior year if I hadn’t gotten sick and had to stay home

Why did you come to UT?

I decided to come to UT because I wanted to be close to home. It was also a highly ranked school and I didn’t think that I could do much better.

Why are you majoring in CS?

I started college as a physics major and I did not like it at all, but I started taking computer science courses my second semester, and when I was debating what to transfer into, I figured I would transfer into CS because I really enjoyed my CS class. The reason I started college as a physics major was because I loved to problem solve and CS had the same problem-solving aspect.

Why are you in this class?

I am in this class because I know that object-oriented programming is really important in computer science and I wanted to strengthen my skill so that I could do better in the job world.

What are your expectations of this class?

I don’t have much other than the expectation that I will learn a lot about object-oriented programming. I hope that I can also make some new friends within computer science through the pair projects!

How much C++ do you already know?

I used c++ in my operating systems class last semester so I have some experience in c++, but I’m no pro. I know the basics, and I know how to use google, so I think I will be able to manage in this class.

How did you like the two lectures?

So far I have liked the lectures. I feel like they are really engaging and interesting, I’m excited to see where the semester goes!

How did you feel about the cold calling?

I liked cold calling, but also hate it. I like it because it helps me stay engaged because I never know when I am going to get called on, but I also hate it because I am so nervous and I don’t want to end up looking dumb. Although, I do know if I do get cold-called and don’t have the answer that at least Professor Downing will be supportive and try to have a conversation about it rather than just making me feel helpless.

What made you happy this week?

This week I was happy because I got a new game for my computer that I have been playing in my free time. I was also happy to get back to a normal routine because during the break without being able to go out and be with friends I found that the days all felt the same, so it’s nice to have some structure again.