Scholar Dudes in Computer Science Scholarship

If I had to put it into different words, I'd say that computer science chose me. I was always interested in video games as a kid and life created a path for me to turn this passion into my career. During the 6th grade, I attended a STEM school; one day, the teacher introduced us to Scratch. Whenever she assigned Scratch assignments to the class, I was always the first one to complete them. I developed a deep interest in Scratch that lasted until 2020. During that time, I'd make simple games, but one game idea I had jumpstarted my move toward computer science. It was a mining tycoon game where you can mine, upgrade, and sell crystals. This project grew so complex that I had to port it to Unity to publish it on websites. The game didn't become popular, so I abandoned it and moved on to my next idea: a magic survival game. This project, which is what I'm working on currently, started last year in Unity 2D. Building a game in 2D is complicated so I made the move to Unity's 3D engine. The decision was wise because I had access to a lot more features such as the particle system. I am proud of my progress so far and hope to release it on Steam within the next 2 years. Small Unity games aren't my only pieces of work. During the spring, I created a Mersenne prime finder in Snap, a remake of Scratch. This summer, I ported it to C# in Visual Studio. Earlier in the summer, I made a program that acts as an ATM. The user is required to register a 16-digit card number and a 4-digit PIN of their choosing. Afterward, the user can log in to their account with the option to withdraw money, deposit money, or log out. I have no other Visual Studio projects in the works right now, but I am searching for ideas on programs to create. I plan to enter game development or software development after I graduate from Kutztown University. I don't have a clear career goal right now, but I would likely create or help create an app that helps to combat the ongoing mental health crisis. Overall, I chose to pursue a degree in computer science because it's what my everyday life is based on, and my interest in what is possible continually grows.