
Hobbies and interests
Speech and Debate
Reading
Self-Help
I read books multiple times per week
Wilson Katsande
435
Bold Points1x
Finalist
Wilson Katsande
435
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
Technology fascinates me - its potential to solve problems inspires me to contribute and learn. I am a future tech major, who just graduated from high school.
Education
Southeast Missouri State University
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Computer Science
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Computer & Network Security
Dream career goals:
Intern
Educait2023 – 2023
Research
Computer Science
Africa Science Buskers org — Leader2023 – 2023
Public services
Volunteering
Africa Science Buskers org — Coaching Volunteer2024 – 2024
Lyndsey Scott Coding+ Scholarship
I have a third eye. My third eye sees what my ordinary eyes can't, opportunity for enhancement. My mother is almost tired of how I am always trying to improve the smallest of things. According to her, my name is "Mr. Why Don't We Just" because I always follow up on a question with, "Why don't we just change the routine?" or "Why don't we just change the color?". Too bad for her, I am always looking for a solution to a problem.
Although my tendency to solve problems developed from a young age, it is something I have continued to grow and take advantage of. My favorite subjects in my Cambridge Advanced level course were mathematics, physics,and computer science. The excitement in doing these subjects lay in the challenge. I spent my first year in high school in the computer lab. I became a regular in the computer lab and very quickly also became one of the best students in my class. I became the best because I constantly challenged myself daily, creating small challenges for me to solve and learn by trial and error.
Because I love to solve problems a lot, not only does that help me constantly improve my skill set but it also gives me the desire to keep going without external motivation. I am proud of the game-changing skills I have developed over the years because of this mentality. Over a year ago, I challenged myself to make an Artificial Intelligence system that would assist farmers in combating climate and increase their annual crop yields. With no previous strong background in AI, all I had was my determination, and believe it or not – that is all I needed.
By setting strict deadlines and clear goal setting, I was able to successfully complete this project. A few months later my project was awarded a silver medal at the South Africa Youth Engineering and Science Symposium in December of 2023. This achievement served as a reminder to me that my desire to solve problems coupled with my skills in computer science could birth revolutionary inventions.
However, this is only the beginning. I have since been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in cyber security at Southeast Missouri State University and this has been an amazing journey. I am not waiting until I graduate for me to start solving more real-world problems. My university provides the opportunity for students to tackle real-world simulated cyber attacks. I will be spending most of my time here just as I did in high school and similarly create a program that uses Artificial Intelligence to combat real cyber attacks from criminals.