I was born in 1992, the wonderful month of July, and I had one older, by 5 years, brother Charles or as I always call him, Charlie. In 1994 I was graced with a wonderful sister, Lindsey. When they got married, my parents worked in the food business. I'm fairly certain my dad was the manager of some fast food place, although I don't exactly know for sure.
He went back to college while we were little and got an Associate's in Chemistry. He studied hard, sacrificing his dream of working food business as well as some time with us, so that he could get a job that could support a family. During early Elementary school years my mom babysat after school. This led to some cool people like the fifth grader who was obsessed with Wolverines (the animal), and some not so cool people like the kid who forcefully took the controller from my sister.
I don't know the exact year, or what grade I was in, but eventually my mom started back to college. She had her sights set on teaching. When she got back to college, she realized that math was a real week point in her education. She started from scratch, learning the absolute basics, and coming home to brag to us about what she learned, even though she knew we had learned that previously in our educations. She graduated, and got a job as a fourth grade teacher, where she is absolutely changing the lives of all the students that pass through her class.
I don't think there was ever a time in my life where I wasn't told to go to college. There was never a point where it didn't seem like the only future was through a college. With this in mind, graduating from college isn't that amazing of a feat. But I'll get back to that. =D
My parents have only ever wanted the best for me and my siblings, and even every friend we've ever had. I know we've had our fair share of financial burdens, but every Christmas, and every birthday, my parents managed to find a way to make the money work. My dad can spread money and make it so much more than it actually is, and that is a skill I hope I'm blessed enough to pick up from him.
They've even questioned every major decision we made, not because they didn't believe in us, but because they know. I decided I didn't want to stick with Boy Scouts. I wasn't enjoying it, the people I cared about in Scouts had left, and I felt like an outcast. I distinctly remember my mom, sternly saying, "I just don't want you to come crying back to me when you're in college saying, 'Why didn't you make me stay in Scouts?' because I'll feel bad for letting you." I distinctly remember feeling so sure about it, in my heart, and also knowing that my involvement in school, choir, and whatever else I was involved with would more than make up for it.
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Boy Scouts was all about being a good person. Every badge, every meeting, every everything had one key connection, "Be a good person." The message varied, "Take care of nature.", "Stand up for others.", etc... All of which boiled down to the basic. I got that, and I took that to heart. I may not be the "always prepared" that most Boy Scouts are, but in my heart I am a Boy Scout. To me that's what matters.
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During my middle/high school career I focused on friends. I soaked up all the knowledge I could. I devoted my time to my grades. I did Choir. I dodged the PE classes. I took up Band. I flexed my intellectual muscle at the Science Bowl. I very much lived in the moment, and yet I dreaded the end of it. I knew that when graduation came, regardless of how far away it was, I would be split from the friends who were a part of me. Who built me up, and gave me life. No matter what I did, I couldn't escape the shadow of graduation that loomed over me.
Eventually I did get to graduate High School. Before I could do that, however, I had to decide on a college and major. For someone who had grown up hearing about college, it was kind of surprising I never actually thought about it. I hadn't thought about majors or colleges. I'd done some tours sure, but they were mainly because I was talked into it by my friends. My major choice was Computer Science, because one guy at Church Camp said, "Video games huh? That sounds like Computer Science. Careful though, those guys sit behind a computer and never interact with people."
So I applied to all the Texas colleges, marking Computer Science or Computer Engineering on all the forms because I wasn't sure what the difference was. I didn't really care which college I got into, there wasn't much of a difference in my head, and I figured I'd end up at A&M since my brother had graduated from there. It seemed even more likely, since I had thought a few of my friends would also end up there. I got accepted to the colleges, and into their Computer programs.
Before I could accept A&M, my friend Brian came to me with thrilling news. "I was doing research, and UT has a great film department! Also this might interest you, their Computer Science department is ranked 7 in the country." This piqued my interest. I really did care about the level of my education and again there was the added bonus of going with Brian.
So with that in mind, I accepted UT. My parents were cautious about it, because of the high price, but I was optimistic about the level of education and the promise of a job afterward to help pay off any loans. To my dismay, Brian ended up incapable of going to UT, and my heart sunk. I was already nervous about everything, and I was worried about how I would survive without my solid foundation. I pushed on with the dream of my future, and the fact that I still had a friend, Summer, who would be attending UT with me.
After accepting, I got an e-mail from Tiffany Grady. "Google's CS Summer Institute" It caught my eye for a few reasons: "Up to 25 aspiring computer scientists will be selected to attend the all-expenses-paid CSSI at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, from July 25 - August 13, 2010." I think that sentence was what caught me. I'd never been to California, and the idea of take a free trip for three weeks was unheard of. I was also apprehensive due to the fact that it was the last summer I was guaranteed to see my friends from home.
I remember completing the application after midnight on the day it was due. The application went through, and I was completely shocked, because I had no idea how it managed to still be accepted. I wasn't going to complain though. So, I continued with my last semester of high school, not entirely sure what my future held. I had a short little phone call with the wonderful Carolyn, one of the absolute kindest people I've ever met, who then scheduled an interview with Scott on May 13th, 2010. The only reason I remember this is because I had a banquet that very night.
So, May 13th rolls around. I spend a good portion of my day nervous, though I'm not sure I showed it. Hrmmm... Anyway! I got home, and almost immediately started to get ready for the Banquet. Phone line cleared so I would be clear to answer any phone call that came my way. The start of the banquet was late enough that I could do the phone interview and still make it, yet the nerves were still very real.
The phone rang, and I took a moment to take it in before relaxing. I answered, and Scott was wonderfully friendly, which helped to make the interview go smoother. We just kind of talked, and I remember a few key points of our conversation. He asked me about Science Bowl, interested in what it was and how it worked. It also came up that I had created a program on my Graphing Calculator, and we discussed what that was and how it was an interesting thing. I remember him asking me how I thought the internet worked. I responded that the address bar was like a road map telling which paths to take to arrive at the correct location of the webpage.
When we finally finished talking I rushed off to the banquet. It was my Top Two Percent Banquet. I had my Assistant Band Director Mr. Dunn, who I had known for only two years and yet inspired me well beyond the expected teacher, as well as my third grade teacher Mrs. Troxell, who was one of the most wonderful teachers ever, at the banquet with me. There were nine students, I think, it may have just been eight, at the banquet each with one elementary school teacher and one middle/high school teacher. They read letters we had written to the teachers, thanking them for everything they had done to get us where we were. I remember being conflicted on who to take since I had a close relationship with every teacher I've ever had.
That was kind of irrelevant to all of this, but there you go anyway. =D
I don't remember where I was, probably at a choir concert or something, but I came home one day after all of this and received a message. I'm fairly certain it was Jessica who had called from Google to inform me that I was accepted to attend the Google Computer Science Summer Institute, or CSSI. I don't remember if I was shocked, or if I even comprehended what that meant. I don't remember freaking out, and I don't remember if I made a big deal about it. I definitely didn't get a mention during graduation. (Shout out Emily.)
On July 25th, 2010 I hopped on a plane in Amarillo to then fly to DFW to then fly to San Francisco. I think. Wherever we landed we had a van take us to San Jose where we would meet up and start the program. My luggage got left behind, so I made the trip back and forth to get it, making me arrive quite later than I would have. The three weeks in California at Google were amazing, and life changing. I met 20 of the most amazing women ever, and 8 of the coolest guys while I was there. I also met Carolyn, Charles, Jessica and Kat who were wonderful role models. If you want a full recap of this portion of my journey you can go "Back to The Basics" or the post "The Google Basics" which this post is so aptly referring to.
So, if you've managed to read this far, I applaud you and award you with 10000 points. At the end of this post I will explain how to redeem them, so bear with me. Also, there's a fail-safe that will not award you the prize if you don't read every word, trust me, I'm a Computer Scientist. Love you guys.
/* From this point forward expect to see the meat of this post.
This will be the part where I look back at college, and then eventually what lies beyond that.
Thanks for reading, whether you read all of the above, or are just starting here. */
I started college in August of 2010, and I was terrified. I knew a few people thanks to Google's CSSI and Summer from Amarillo, but that was just about it. Well, my brother lived nearish to UT, so there was also that. Even with that though, the culture shock of moving from Amarillo to Austin floored me. I had a fairly terrible roommate experience, and I didn't really meet people until the end of the first semester.
I clearly recall going home at Thanksgiving, and feeling like I wasn't leaving Austin quick enough. Leaving Amarillo to come back, however, felt like I wasn't leaving slow enough. I remember thinking about how I had met people, and I really liked them, but the most we hung out was when we were doing our homework that was due the next day. And I wouldn't take that back ever! Those were some of the best nights of my first semester at college. We worked and learned, but we also learned about each other. We discussed dreams, and philosophies.
At one point during my first semester, probably before Thanksgiving, I called home. Specifically, I called my mom. I was already crying when she answered. "I don't like it here." "I don't have any friends. The closest friend is three hours away." "My roommate is terrible." I said a lot more, and my mom was a champ! She kept saying, "If you're unhappy we can fix that." "There are other schools, and we'll work with you to find what you want and makes you feel good." I was in tears, because even though she wanted me to do whatever made me happy I knew I couldn't leave UT.
The first reason I stuck it out at UT was because I see the big picture a lot. I knew the type of program that the Computer Science program at UT was. I knew the recognition a UTCS degree had in the Software Engineering world. I was willing to sacrifice some momentary unhappiness at the chance that I would have the job and future I wanted. My second reason was the people I met through my Research Methods class, those mentioned two paragraphs earlier. While we didn't hang out a lot, they were the foundation I needed that allowed me to push on and eventually meet every influential person I've interacted with at UT. Now, Jacob, Daniel and I on occasion would play Champions (an MMO) from 4ish until the sun came up 14 hours later. SHHHHH....
Summer and I hung out a lot, but our schedules didn't quite mesh as well as we would have liked. As the years went on we found less and less time, until we'd become integrated into new circles that didn't leave a lot of room for overlap. I happened to have a lot of classes with the same people, but I never really formed any friendships with them. The main reason being that they were all friends already, and by the time I had decided I wanted to be in I felt like I was already an outsider.
The general interaction I had with the people who would later go on to be some of the most life changing people ever was a simple hi outside of our 305j class. Intro to Programming (For uber beginners) that took place in the Communications building. I would sit outside our class, reading, and Eric and Ann would play Pokemon. I was reading The Once and Future King, which is an amazing book! The initial breakthrough was when Ann was making origami stars. She was demonstrating how she could make the tiniest origami stars ever, and was kind enough to give me one. I promised I'd keep it with me forever, and so I immediately put it in my necklace. Specifically in a prayer box that my grandma gave me back in eighth grade. It's still there to this day.
On January 28th, 2011 Ann posted the following status "We need a Kingdom Hearts music expert. stat.
in Jester Piano Lounge " I read that and somehow commented on it before it was posted. I was the first to comment with "What exactly do you mean when you say expert?" This was the moment when I knew that I had to be friends with these people. I've tried numerous times to express my love for this video game, but the easiest way is that this game had a crucial role in the shaping of who I am.
Since then, I've been on a whirlwind adventure with this crew. We've been through ups and downs, heartbreak and love, agreement and major disagreement, and yet we still manage to be a really tight knit group of friends. I say "we" but I should say "I" so I don't impose my experiences unwelcome on anyone else.
My first semester was a down. A major down. As mentioned above. I've managed to try some of my friendships by stupidly playing my cards. I've caused some friendships to break for a bit until we later returned and patched it back together. I've put my heart on the line and had it shattered, and I've had the pleasure of knowing people who helped pick up the pieces when I couldn't. I've met some really religious people who grew my faith, and some radical religious people who forced me to iron out the kinks and clarify exactly what it was that I believed in.
While I was at UT I found myself an innumerable number of opportunities. I seized several of them, my trips to Google, my trips to the Tapia Conference, my leadership roles, and my internships. I've also missed out on a lot of opportunities due to over thinking or being scared. I've met people who I was sure were "the one" only to find that they weren't as "the one" as I initially thought, and met people who are exactly what "the one" should be like, but don't quite turn out to be the one for me.
I've had friends who I drove 5 hours to watch a movie with, only to drive 5 hours the next day to return home. I've had friends who reassured me when I was hopeless, and friends who took me to great heights that I didn't know existed. I've had the pleasure of exploring these people, and really getting to know them. I've placed more trust in them than I thought was possible, and don't regret a single bit of it.
I guess I'm to the wrap up, so here goes.
After graduation I had a friend ask:
"Congratulations on the graduation and whatnot c:
How does it feel?
What do I have to look forward to"
I responded with:
"Ok, so the graduation itself is more so where the awesome feeling of graduation sets in the, "I'M DONE AND MY LIFE IS AHEAD OF ME. WOOO!
And then, after you've done lunch and stuff and go back to your place to just relax it feels all, "it's just another day now. I'm just another person." and it's kind of crazy to feel that you're past the big pomp of graduation and now you're just another post college person.
BUT
in the end. It's not so much about the pomp, or the being another person, the important thing is to realize that the journey over college was an amazing one, and that this closes that chapter so that you can start on the next chapter.
And the great thing, is that the next chapter can be absolutely whatever you want it to be.So, lots of pomp, high emotions, normality, and then anything."
And if there's anything I got from my four years at UT, it's that the journey is seriously everything. From late nights coding, to the four years to get a degree. The end result is pleasing, but that's because of all the time and effort that it took to get there. I couldn't have managed it without a supportive family, wonderful friends from all over Texas and even all over the World. I know I worked to get here, but all of that work would have meant nothing if not for the people I encountered.
So in the most round about way of doing anything, which I'm really good at, Thank You! Thank you for reading this. Reading anything I ever post. Reading my Facebook status. Smiling when I needed it. Encouraging me when necessary. Inspiring me.
And most importantly. Thank you for helping me grow. I'm not the William that left high school on this journey. And that William might not agree with everything I feel now, however, the current William is a product of every encounter and every little interaction I've had and he couldn't be more proud of the current product.
Now, as I said to my friend, the future is whatever I want it to be. I'm not looking for an end goal. I have dreams, but what I'm interested in is the journey I take to get me there. I have the whole world at my finger tips, I have tons of people to meet and tons of places to pull inspiration from. I'm lived 21 (almost 22) years, and I know I've not met half the people I will in my lifetime.
So, where do I go from here? Forward. Forward with a great big smile on my face. Forward with a goal of improving who I am, and making the world around me a better place.
What starts here changes the world.
Well, I'm off. Off to change the world. Maybe slowly. Maybe I help someone who changes the world. I'm ok with that.
I left the commencement feeling one major thing. I CAN make a difference, and I won't squander that.
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