Nate Levin

I created my first program when I was seven years old, with nothing but a school-issued iPad and a restless imagination. From the moment I started, I was hooked by the near-total freedom programming gave me to explore my creative visions.

By middle school, both my skills and ambitions had increased. I learned some electrical engineering, but the limiting nature of physical materials led me to focus on my favorite part all along: writing software. I spent most of my free time writing code. Coding had become more than just a hobby; it was an integral part of my identity.

Entering high school, I was already certain that I wanted to major in computer science. I was the only freshman in my AP Computer Science class, and I spent over 120 hours sophomore and junior years busing to a different high school to take dual-enrolled CS courses.

When I got my first taste of the heavily theoretical math behind computer science, I loved it. Creativity, not rote memorization, was key to solving the class’s difficult problems.

Over the past two years of performing research with CS professors, PhD candidates, and masters students, it’s become obvious: these are my people. A CS degree will allow me to expand my passion and pursue a rewarding career doing what I love.