Jenna C.

My name is Jenna Cioffi (pronounced cha-fee) and I am a senior at USU pursuing a bachelors in Computer Science. I have always been pretty tech savvy, and I can figure my way out around a computer and some programs quite quickly. I am a minimalist, and using computers (specifically an iPad) for my schoolwork was my first step into what I could really change and improve in my life through computers. I would love to work a position of leadership, management, debugging, and/or software development with my degree once I graduate as I feel that those aspects are what I do well in. I am very organized and punctual, which would help me in a leadership and managerial position. I am also able to work for hours at a time while staying mostly stress free and calm, even during de-bugging moments. I once took a short power nap as my break from a coding assignment, on the evening of the night it was due, and woke up with a plan of how to complete the assignment that I had been stuck on for hours (I'm amazed at some of my CS accomplishments such as this!). I find my computer science courses to be relatively easy once I can understand and grasp a concept that was taught. I'm also lenient in what I am willing to do. Want me to learn C++? Sure, I need some time, but no problem I can do that. Want me to debug some code that others can't figure out? Sure I'll give it a shot. I really like to help out when I can, and as long as the purpose behind a project I've been asked to work on is clear and not going to harm anyone in any way (both physically and morally) I am happy to jump aboard and help out!

I do not have any professional experience in the Computer Science field besides TAing (teaching assistant) for a computer science course which is geared towards the real world. My boss (the professor) explains the class as a class that contains everything he wishes he was taught when he was in college as he learned the hard way about it all in his jobs after he graduated. 

In our CS1440 class, not only do we set up the class so its a mimic of a company (called DuckieCorp), we also teach students how to use the command line, git, and how to learn in itself. Students are also taught how to use the debugger in IDEs, how to refactor code in order to make it easier to read and more organized, and we help students learn to use official documentation. (this is not all but is a good amount of what we teach). 

On the management side, I like to help my coworkers write the grading scripts that we can run on our command line to make grading quicker and more fair. I also am happy to help run around the classroom for my boss when he needs things and to meet with students to help them understand their assignments.

Not a huge amount of professional experience, but it is a job that I do love, and will be sad to leave one day.

I am in my fifth year of college at USU pursuing a bachelors in Computer Science. I have been actively programming and taking classes in CS for 3 years now, and while I may take a minute to understand a new concept, I can grasp it quickly usually and keep the ball rolling.