Name: Andrew Tran 
Degree: Computer science 
Hometown: Broomall, Pennsylvania 

Why Temple: “When I was researching Temple, I saw that it had tons of opportunities for me to really explore the many different things I’m interested in. I have always wanted to go to Japan, so one of the main opportunities that drew me into Temple was the study abroad program at Temple University Japan (TUJ). On top of that, I saw that Temple provides a lot of resources for computer science students. The computer science professors here are involved in many different research areas, and I knew that was something I wanted to look into and pursue.” 

Transformative moment: “I took a climate and sustainability elective as a first-year student. In that class, I met another computer science major, the only other one in that class, and he pointed me to apply to Stephen MacNeil’s [Human-Computer Interaction] research lab. This was also MacNeil’s first year at Temple, so he was looking to build his lab, and I was one of the first undergraduate researchers to join. Because of that opportunity in the Temple HCI Lab, I got one-on-one mentorship in tons of different things—not just research. MacNeil also mentored me a lot on my career path, how to seek out internships in software engineering, a field that isn't directly related to research, and he really encouraged me to explore different paths in computer science.” 

What’s next: “When I was applying for internships, I was able to get an internship at Amazon Web Services, and I learned from a ton of people who are really good at what they do. The internship got me a full-time offer for a job as a software engineer. It was especially cool because I was in Seattle for the summer during my internship. Living in Seattle really exposed me to new life opportunities. I met a lot of amazing friends, explored the city and developed a love for hiking! For my full-time role, I’ll be moving to New York City. 

“Before I start work, I will be traveling in June and July to Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. I’m super excited because I was just in Asia last spring for the TUJ program, so I’m really excited to be back. I think it’s an important time to explore the world and learn more about myself before I start work.”