What influenced your decision to major in Software Engineering? Tell us a little bit about your path getting here.
I didn’t know how to code when I started my freshman year, but the idea of programming always excited me. Funny, but must be because of all the sci-fi movies/cartoons I watched growing up as a child: Danny Phantom, Jimmie Neutron, Dexter’s Lab, and maybe Codename: Kids Next Door, haha!
Where is your “hometown”?
I come from Gulu, a small city in Uganda (East Africa). Uganda is nicknamed the “Pearl of Africa” for many reasons, but mostly because of its beauty and biodiversity. We are the world’s youngest country by population, most ethnically diverse, and most entrepreneurial; plus we have the world’s long river: River Nile.
“Be patient and take it easy. Software Engineering is for everyone, even if you are new to programming like I was. You just have to find resources that work for you.” – Elvis Kimara
What are you involved in at the university?
This semester, I’m the treasurer of the Uganda Alliance club and a member of the Software Engineering Advisory Council. Last semester, I was a part of the performing arts, martial arts (taekwondo), and innovation fellow clubs.
What was your favorite part of student life? And why?
My favorite part is probably the “college life.” A phenomenon that sits decently in between adult life and high school/younger life. And of course getting to see familiar faces and getting college student discounts on subscriptions!
Who has had the biggest impact on you and why?
Karen Piconi, Former Director of Student Innovation at Iowa State. She’s an exceptional leader and an incredible human being. Really inspirational and interdisciplinarily brilliant! She was a mentor and life coach to every innovation fellow and faculty at the Iowa State University Student Innovation Center. In her words, her purpose was “to broker relationships,” and she taught us how to find and live a life of purpose in our ways — one impactful and meaningful!
Have you had an internship/job? What did you like most about your role?
I work part-time as a full-stack student developer for the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT). I started in the Summer of 2021, so I’ve been there for almost a year and a half. I’m building a new web application to store lab data for every district lab in the State of Iowa. What I like the most is working on real-life application software and the faith my team has in me to demonstrate my progress to the rest of the Iowa DOT civil engineers every two weeks.
If you could give an incoming SE Program student advice, what would it be?
Be patient and take it easy. Software Engineering is for everyone, even if you are new to programming like I was. You just have to find resources that work for you. This can be help hours, online tutorials, or YouTube videos if you can’t understand something in class.
What’s one random fun fact about yourself you’d be willing to share?
I was the winner of the ISU Innovations Award 2022 this past spring. Also, fun fact: I’ve appeared in an Amazon Prime show, The College Tour, Season 4 Episode 4 (07:27) – https://www.thecollegetour.com/watch/iowa-state-university/. It’s not much; I have a solid 12 seconds I won’t shut up about. Go check me out!