“Coding is 1% creating your algorithm, 1% generating your functions, 1% remembering the language you are using, 1% noticing that the program does not work the way you want it to, and 96% having the willingness to stay up all night to fix it. Education is a lot like coding, or at least I would challenge you to look at it that way. Despite the errors that you may come across through the duration of the process, there is no better satisfaction than seeing a once-broken program execute successfully.”
-De’Aira Bryant
ABOUT ME
My name is De’Aira Bryant. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics and Leadership Distinction in Research. When entering my senior year, I finally had room in my schedule to pursue graduation with leadership distinction. After careful consideration of the different pathways, I knew that the Research GLD pathway was the best fit for me. I have participated in undergraduate research for over three years. Once I set my mind on becoming a professor, I knew that it would take multiple within- and beyond-the classroom experiences to begin a career in graduate school after my undergraduate graduation in May 2017. Since this realization, I have participated in several projects on the University of South Carolina campus and beyond. My key insights elaborate on a few of these projects and further explain some of the lessons that I have learned along the way. These include:
I invite you to navigate my e-portfolio and explore my journey over the last four years. You will find my trajectory to computer science, my educational growth, my personal recollections of treasured experiences and some of my dear co-curricular activities. The leadership section of the site ties all of the key insights together by utilizing the lessons that I have learned over the past four years into a formalized plan for accessible computer science exposure. My leadership project, A Culturally Tailored Approach to Accessible Computer Science, introduces a continuation of my Magellan project that could potentially provide a culturally relevant, non-intimidating introduction to computer science for students all across the nation.
With the three Key Insights, technical skills, and extensive preparation gained from my research experiences at UofSC, I have been accepted to five graduate PhD programs in computer science. I have also been awarded NSF-GRFP and GEM fellowships to fund my graduate education which I will pursue at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Fall of 2017 after an internship with Adobe Systems, Inc. this upcoming summer. I will continue to use the valuable skills that I have gained at UofSC throughout the rest of my academic journey by always knowing that my leadership has no limits.
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