My career goals are mainly focused on stability, and a side benefit of that would be enjoyment, though it's not as important. A stable job would be nice and even greater if I enjoy the job I'm doing, but the main goal is to secure a stable job after college. During highschool I didnt know anything about chess, and only until my freshman year in college was I introduced to chess by a junior and sophomore group. I took an interest in it because I loved the way of planning moves and envisioning a sequence of moves you or the opponent could take. In that special group, whenever someone was playing a game of chess, everybody would gather together to try and give advice on what moves to take or how to approach certain setups. Weeks after playing, it became a hobby to meet up with buddies and play chess. As a computer science student, I think chess was one of the best hobbies I could pick up because it's all about strategy. A similar word to strategy in computer science terms is called an algorithim. Which is a sequence of steps to solve a problem. I learned that every chess game is a problem and there is always a unique sequence of steps to achieve a checkmate. The fun and annoying part of chess is that it can be very unpredictable. I remember watching videos on these "gambits" that allow for a quick victory, but a certain sequence of moves must be played by you and the opponent for it to work. I was getting annoyed that most of my opponents performed a different sequence of moves each time, almost as if I was being watched and prevented from abusing shortcut gambits. I learned that you absorb alot more patterns from long games of chess, and those gambits were just for trolling people by ending the chess games within seconds. I also learned that because every chess game will never have the same sequence of moves, I interpreted that as there is never only one solution to a problem. That interpretation is very important as a computer science student because I have come across certain porblems where I get stuck on trying to get one method to work without branching out and exploring new appraoches. The production of creativity cannot be still water; it must be an ongoing cycle. If we stay stuck on the same ideas and approaches, we will never be able to innovate.

Hello, my name is Daniel Alawode. An African American, but my origin is Nigeria. I used to live in Washington, D.C. for most of my life up until middle school. I moved to Maryland after my dad got a new home, and instead of catching metro buses and taking trains to get to school, we had to catch school buses, which was definitely a convenient change. Ever since I got my first device (iPad Mini), I have been intrigued by its functionality, the touch of the screen, the interactions with apps, and the entertainment software (aka games). I first encountered computers in middle school and was captivated by their capabilities. This fascination led me to major in computer science, combining my love for games and the creative interactions they offer. I want to be part of the game development community and eventually create my own games. Currently, my goal is to learn software development and engineering, since these skills are essential for building software others can use. While engineering focuses on solving problems and development brings ideas to life, I am more drawn to development because I enjoy creating things and tackling challenges as they arise. In my first year of college I was given advice by a senior about carrer paths and that its better to infd what you love as soon as possible because or else you may end up with a resume that has so many expeirences in different roles that anybody you show it too would be wondering what your specialty is. Loving what you do is the most important part of a career, because without passion, things can fall apart—you might lose motivation or your work quality may suffer, like apps malfunctioning or running out of ideas. I have enjoyed college so far thanks to a scholarship for students born in Maryland. Since I found out I was born in Montgomery, this scholarship was a lifesaver for covering college costs. However, recent changes in our government have caused those scholarships to be reduced and, in some cases, be removed completely. Unfortunately, unfortunaltey my privilege ended in 2026, so in order to continue getting through college to achieve certification that will allow me to join those innovative entertainment communities, I need all the help I can get. My love for games won't end even if I drop out of college because that will only leave me with more time to continue learning what I want. Although it would be nice to start something you finish so you don't have any regrets later.