In today’s modern era, you’ve most likely heard that AI is becoming so advanced to the point where it can create apps and code just from a single prompt. As a result, many companies have laid off thousands of experienced hands-on employees to save costs and improve efficiency when it comes to designing and selling their products. However, some of these companies are now realizing that AI is more expensive to maintain than paying human workers for their services, resulting in many jobs becoming sought-after. My name is Destin Glenn, and I’m currently studying Computer Information Systems with a focus on Network Administration. The reason I chose this STEM major is because I’ve always had a fascination with technology. I have my late father and his late friend to thank for driving me towards my passion. I remember whenever something went wrong with our family desktop, my dad would take it to him to get rid of whatever virus or error that came around. This inspired me to learn more about computers and components such as RAM, storage, motherboard, and processor so I can learn how to build my own PC. Before I started high school in 2020, I fixed up a laptop my mom’s cousin passed down to help me get my assignments done. I took two programming classes during my time in high school that taught me how to code. I also experimented with different operating systems such as Linux. Since then, I’ve learned many things about CIS within the first half of my four years. I’ve learned about software, more advanced coding in python, web design foundation, and multiple types of computer networks including MAC and IP addresses, Wide, Local, and Personal Area Networks, and the OSI layer model. I’m about to enter my junior year and I’m going to learn more about networks, economics, databases and enterprise architecture. After graduating, I plan to make an impact by working as a computer systems specialist to integrate more efficient workflows for businesses in the future. Companies are currently re-evaluating AI’s role in managing workflows for businesses. There’s no arguing that AI has been a helpful resource for both general and enterprise users. However, the current way that data is processed is actively hurting our environment, with prices for electronics actively going up everyday, families being kicked out of neighborhoods, and creating unfiltered water. I believe my future ideas could benefit everybody, and I believe my future ideas could help companies better manage how AI manages data for everybody without turning modern necessities into luxuries.

When we’re born, there’s no argument in saying everybody’s raised differently. Whether we grew up with a single mother, father, or both parents, everybody’s story starts off in some form, and mine is no exception. My story starts off on August 7th, 2006, where my mother and father gave birth to me. My father named me Destin because he believed that I was destined for great things in the future. At first, my childhood was just like anyone else’s, going to school while enjoying life without a care in the world. Whenever they were free, they would always make sure we had fun together and keep me as happy as they could be. Little did I know, my life was about to change in a major way. When I was eight years old, my father was sick for the past couple years, and it all came to a turning point on April 6th, 2015. He was taking me to school that morning when he got really sick, but he still insisted on taking me. That was the last time I saw him. When I asked about him after my mom picked me up from school that day, she told me he had passed. My world was forever shattered after hearing that, and I ended up learning about life very early. After that, my life was never the same. My mom and grandma picked up where he left off to raise me the rest of the way to where I'm at now. Even to this day, I’m still not over his death. Before my senior year of high school three years ago, my grandma had contracted sepsis and gotten really sick. It made me think that I was going to lose her just like I lost him. Thankfully, she recovered. Despite what I was thinking at the time, my mom and grandma got to see me graduate high school and witnessed me having the privilege of going to school at Bethune-Cookman University. Before my father’s passing, he knew a friend of his who was an expert with computers and was able to fix our computer whenever something went wrong with it. When I was in high school, I had taken a few classes in Computer Science regarding programming. This led to me choosing to major in Computer Information Systems. I chose this major because I had already known quite a bit about how technology works, and I wanted to go into the deeper aspect of it. I plan to get a job as a computer technician after I graduate and I currently have a 3.39 GPA. My late father and his late friend both played a part in me choosing this major. I am very grateful to my mom and grandma for helping me recover from a point in my childhood where I was broken to a point now in my manhood where I’m able to use my pain to move forward.

When it comes to my “awkward” thing, the thing I would probably have to pick about myself would be my personality. I know it may sound generic at first, but I think something that really stands out about me is how others view me in general. Some people think I’m down-to-earth and humble, while some think that I would make a great football player. Fun fact: before I was born, my late father, back when he and my mother knew each other in high school, was actually a football player himself. My mom told me he could have gone pro, if it wasn’t for his trash talk. Initially, you might think I would inherit his passion and love for the sport, right? While I did watch football with him from time to time, I just watched it with him because I just wanted to spend time with him. Sadly, I lost him when I was eight years old. Guys I interacted with throughout my entire life in school and even now in college have told me that I had the perfect physique for football, telling me I could be a good defensive player. I’ve always been bigger than the other guys around me. I know I’m not the only big person on campus, but whenever I receive comments like that, I’m a little flattered when people comment positively about my weight. Usually, people like me, not that I know from experience, are bullied and made fun of about their weight. Even if people do comment negatively about my weight, I just ignore them and go on with my business. What do I do instead of playing football? Well, I have always been fascinated by technology. It's actually part of my major that I’m currently studying, Computer Information Systems. I also like to sing, though not in front of big crowds. Here’s another fun fact: before my elementary school graduation, my music teacher noticed how good I could sing, so he decided to cast me on stage to sing “I Believe I Can Fly” on the day of our graduation. When the day finally came, I remembered being so nervous because everybody in the audience, including my mother and grandma, were all looking on stage watching us perform. I do still sing today, but I haven’t really been involved in any concert groups or choirs. That’s mainly because I’m nervous about performing in front of a group of people and don’t really like being put out there in front of the spotlight. You might think, “How come I like singing, but not football?” I don’t like it because I feel like it’s too high-risk and brutal for my taste. When it comes to singing, I enjoy it because it’s something I love to do, even though I don’t use it to my full potential. Overall, this is what makes me stand out to others, because even though I don’t impress people one way, I still impress people in other ways, even not in the way they expect. I may not enjoy football as much as the next person despite being told I would be perfect for it, but I love doing what I want to do for myself. Could I get involved in singing for a choir in the future? Yes. But for now, I love being myself, in the best way I possibly can.

When you’re born into the world, the first relationship you start with is your family and siblings. During my early childhood, my father and I had a connection that was inseparable. My father was like my best friend I never even dreamed of; making sure I was doing good in school, didn’t get bullied, and that I was as happy as I could be. When I was eight years old, he was extremely sick, and I lost him not long after. Losing him didn’t just feel like losing a father, it felt like I had lost a core part of myself. I say this because in today’s world of constantly evolving technology, we’ve gotten so used to the idea of using it for everything that we’ve forgotten that life can be taken away from us at any time. With this in mind, it's important to discuss the importance of establishing, maintaining, and strengthening relationships with not only your family, but with your friends and romantic endeavors. There’s no argument in saying that befriending others is difficult for everybody. While it may seem simple to get someone’s social media, get a girl’s phone number, or just have a casual conversation, there are other factors that play a role in generating connections with one another besides your family. Social media is one of those factors. People compare themselves to others on social media when it comes to their life and looks and think that’s what every man or woman wants. This causes low self-esteem, poor self-confidence, and crippling anxiety. As long as you know how you respect yourself and others, it will be easy to establish a good connection with someone you want to be friends with or a potential romantic interest. Maintaining relationships in today’s technological landscape is more challenging than it was before the smartphone existed. Thanks to the existence of social media, you can keep up with your friends anytime, anywhere. While social media can be a useful tool in maintaining relationships by sharing to friends and family about moments in your life, it can also deprive people from having face-to-face interactions and take away the authenticity of creating memories with others and prioritize showing others online how you’re living life. It can also lead to social fatigue and cause people to become distant. To properly maintain relationships in today’s technological landscape, prioritizing face-to-face interaction can help strengthen friendships for the long term. Doing activities outside of social media can also open up doorways for other potential relationships. In summary, the importance of maintaining and strengthening face-to-face relationships cannot be undermined. Technology is helpful for keeping up with friends and family, but it can also strain face-to-face interactions with others. Establishing relationships can be difficult, but maintaining and strengthening them in today’s landscape can be challenging to do thanks to an over-reliance on social media. Preserving authentic human connection is possible in today’s landscape, limiting social media activity, connecting with others, and having more face-to-face interactions can create a balance of online and real-life connections.

Hello, my name is Destin Glenn. I am currently a sophomore student attending Bethune-Cookman University with a major in Computer Information Systems. On April 6th, 2015, at the age of 8 years old, my Father, Terry Eugene Glenn, passed away from kidney failure. He was sick for a while, and our family took care of him until his passing. My Father was my best friend, and because of that, I felt I didn’t need to make friends. I got along with everybody I met, but it felt like I didn’t need anyone else. He would always be there to hang out with me when he was able to. One day, before taking me to school, he was really sick. My Grandma insisted on taking me to school instead, but he refused. Little did I know, that would be the last time I saw him alive. My Mother came and picked me up after school, and when I asked her about him, she told me he passed. I was so shattered, I had to go to counseling for a while when I was in the 4th grade. When he passed, I didn’t just lose a Father, I lost my best friend of eight years. He was the one who held our family together. He made sure I did good in school and didn’t get bullied. Now that he was gone, it felt it was my turn to look after everyone in his life. Being that young, my Mom told me that wasn’t my responsibility. Since then, my Mom and Grandma were in an accident back in 2019 along with my Grandmother having to be rushed to the hospital in 2023. The thought of losing them brought back the trauma of losing my Father. A friend of mine I met last year gave me the idea of writing him a letter telling him everything I’ve done since then. Doing that gave me the proper closure I needed on my Father’s passing. I thanked God for allowing my Mom and Grandma, despite their health issues, to help me grow and heal from that moment in my life, helping me graduate high school, giving me the privilege of going to college, and teaching me independence. I know they can’t replace what we shared, but I’m grateful that my Mother, my Grandmother, my Mom’s God-brother, and his Godson have been there since then to watch and protect me in his absence. I’ve had so many great memories of the times we shared. My Father was the reason I became so fascinated with technology. A friend of his was a computer technician who knew how PCs worked. Whenever our PC had a problem, he would take it to him, he would diagnose the issue, and it was fixed. They were the reason I choose to major in Computer Information Systems. My Father may not be here to witness me growing, but I know he’s proud of who I’m becoming for the future. He’ll always have a place in my heart, and it would be good to see him again.