Becoming A McNair Scholar
Fall 2019
Becoming a McNair Scholar has a story to it. It first starts
with my love for video games.
I used to have this game-boy that
I played religiously. I, then transferred to internet
games and my addiction to playing video kept evolving. I still
remember the first time I play on the Playstation Portable,
I was taken aback by how this type portable console made me happy
and very intrigued by its design, and functionality.
My siblings and I acquired a Wii U from our father because we
simply needed more entertainment. I played on that game
console very consistently, almost everyday because I had fun,
and burned a lot of calories to.
Later down the road, I traveled to the U.S where I
the Texas Tech University to study Computer Science, and
I am currently in my Junior Year.
One of my most memorable moments at TTU was during the winter,
when I was introduced to a Virtual Reality via headset.
I had seen these headset before; some, where you could
insert the phone and others that could be connected to a pc
or game console. As soon as I put on the headset,
my mind was blown! I entered in a Jurassic Park simulation,
and I was able to reach out and touch dinosaurs around me.
From that very moment, I knew that I had to pursue this
technology and software for my future career.
I began to do more research on my experience;
not only was there Virtual Reality (VR), but I found
there is another type of reality, Augmented Reality (AR).
I fell in love with this software/technology and
right away I wanted to begin working on it. I
discovered the McNair Scholars Program, and the opportunities
presented by this organization. This program aims to aide students
in preparing for graduate school and conducting undergraduate
research. From the beginning of my college career, I had decided
that I would go to graduate school and obtain my PhD.
Being called Dr.Benjamin added some excitement.
Knowing what I want to do after my bachelor's degree, and also deciding
what area I would like to pursue a career in within CS, a light bulb came on.
I decided to apply to the McNair Scholars Program, and I got accepted. I got into
contact with a professor who did research in VR/AR, and is now my mentor. So far,
I have attended seminars on writing a literature review regarding my research,
gaining tips and study for the GRE, learning how to write a personal statement,
and also had the opportunity to present my summer research at the UCLA McNair
Conference, 2020.
The ultimate goal is continue my current research in grad school, and
become a CEO of my own tech company.