I grew up in the small winery town of Cloverdale, California, located a bit north of here. Since Cloverdale had a population of less than 8,000 people, coming to Berkeley was a big step for me. But as much as I love Berkeley, my home town still holds a special place in my heart, and provides a wonderful traffic-free escape once in awhile.
I knew for a long time that I wanted to go to Cal, although I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I got here. I was originally an intended pre-med Integrative Biology major, but after some expensive soul searching I have found myself very comfortably and excitedly seated as a double major in Cognitive Science and Computer Science. Biggest piece of advice I can pass on from my journey to this point: look around, you have plenty of time.
Even though I've fallen completely in love with Computer Science, I'm only really experienced in Python and Java. However, I'll be spending this summer attempting to become proficient in MatLab and Objective-C, so hopefully soon I can expand that list :) Never stop learning!
I like to keep busy and I'm easily bored, so I have a lot of interests/hobbies.
Playing video games and writing are my biggest ones, and they're closely related. I've written pretty much my whole life. I'm very passionate about storytelling in a lot of different forms, but find it has some of the most powerful potential in an interactive medium like video games.
I really enjoy performing improv comedy, and lead the troupe Barestage Unscripted here on campus. So if you're ever on campus during the semester and feel like watching one of your old TAs make a doof out of herself. . .
I'm also a big music fan and often go to San Francisco for shows. If you're in my discussion and I have big black X's on the backs of my hands, its probably a good indicator that I didn't get a whole lot of sleep the night before. Sorry in advance!
Other hobbies: running, drawing, re-reading Game of Thrones, spending too much time on tumblr.
This past semester I was selected as one of five women at Berkeley to receive the Bergeron Scholarship, which was a really big deal for me. I went on a trip to Seattle last August and shared one hotel room with seven of my friends, and I intend to do the same this August. Last spring I competed in the GrandSlam, the slam poetry finals at Berkeley. One time I accidentally scraped all the skin off the roof of my mouth.
I have other stuff probably, but I'm kind of drawing a blank. I have a lot of big, memorable plans for the future, if that makes up for it.
I won a pageant once? I guess that counts. It was certainly memorable, if only for how strange of an experience it was.
In addition to being a TA, I will also be working part time in the Richard Ivry's Cognitive Action lab on campus, where I'll be working with Parkinson's patients on coordination tasks and slogging my way through MatLab tutorials. I also have some personal projects I'll be working on in my (nonexistent) free time to try to expand my programming tool set.
I actually haven't TA'd before, so I can't say for certain what my teaching style will be.
Going in, my biggest goal will be to make my students comfortable. I think working together and actively engaging in the material is the best way to get the most out of a class, and I want students to get the most they can.
At the same time, I am someone who tries very hard to be conscious of other people's learning styles. I'm willing to adapt, compromise, and accommodate. I want students to know its okay to have questions. I also want students to know they CAN understand the material, and that I will work with them to make sure they do.
I also like to joke around. Learning brand new material can be tough, but from my experience, being able to laugh a bit and relax is essential for one's well being, stress levels, and ability to learn effectively.