I was born in Austin, TX, but moved to the Bay Area when I was two and have been living here since. The town I grew up in was (and still is) a very typical suburban environment, with friendly neighbors and a fair amount of open space, but not much excitement.
I came to Cal unsure of what I would eventually want to major in. Throughout my life, I've always had a strong interest in math. Before coming to Cal however, I had very little experience with what computer science was. I had devoted a considerable amount of my high school life to business-related pursuits, and had seriously considered becoming a Business major at some point. I came into CS 61A with no clue what to expect, and left knowing that computer science was the right field of study for me.
The programming languages that I feel most comfortable with are Python and Java. Although I had done some programming before coming to Cal, my first serious programming experience came when I took CS 61A during the Fall semester of my freshman year.
I really enjoy learning new things, especially if it's something particularly mind-blowing. It doesn't necessarily have to be computer-science related (although it often is), I just really enjoy knowing more about the world around me. I also really like to spend time just talking to people and getting to know them a little bit better.
As far as tangible hobbies are concerned, I enjoy the occasional nap on Memorial Glade, especially on days when the sun is out but it isn't scorching hot. I also enjoy playing and listening to classical piano music, with Beethoven and Chopin being particular favorites of mine. When I have the free time, I also enjoy watching a good game of football/basketball and following various drama-y TV series (I'm currently trying to get caught up on White Collar and Suits).
Personally, I try to live life treating every moment as a memorable one, because you never know when something might happen that will change your life forever. I'd have to spend a little more time thinking about the first question - come talk to me sometime in office hours or otherwise and I'm sure I'll have an answer for you then! :)
Helping make CS61A the best course possible! Besides that, I plan to do some exploring of Berkeley and the surrounding areas, as I feel like I don't know the area nearly as well as I should. If you have any recommendations for where I should go visit, please let me know!
I would describe my teaching style as being flexible, engaging, and interactive. I strongly believe that the best way of learning something is by doing it, and my classes will revolve around having students work together to solve and explain problems. I try to keep my own lecturing to a minimum, instead preferring to give students as much time as possible to actually implement what they've learned while I walk around providing useful tips and tricks. I also feel strongly that the classroom environment is about the students and not about me - I'm willing to modify lesson plans based off of what students want to learn and feel they struggle the most with. I want to make my labs and discussions something that students want to go to, not something that they have to go to. I've also been told that my teaching style (or maybe just my voice) makes people feel warm and safe, but opinions may vary on that one.