2014-2015 Scholarship Recipients
Posted on February 4, 2015 by Jacob Howard Posted in News
The Arkansas Academy of Computing is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014-2015 scholarship awards.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Wilson Turner
Wilson is pursuing a degree in Computer Science. He is involved in the Arkansas Quidditch Club sport and is serving as treasurer. He says, “This scholarship will allow me to continue to strive for excellence in my studies and reduce the financial burden on my family.” In addition to being a full-time student, Wilson worked at Bottle Rocket Apps this summer during an internship, and he plans to return to them next summer as well. His future plans are to work in the mobile application field at Bottle Rocket Apps.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Kanat Bektemirov
Kanat is working toward a degree in Computer Science. He is involved in Phi Beta Lambda, the Association for Computer Machinery, and the Programming Team. Outside of school, Kanat is part of a three person start-up that is one of the finalists of the ARK Challenge in Fayetteville. Previously, he interned at companies like Google, Amazon Web Services, Amazon, and SOAPware as a software engineer. Kanat states, “I could not have chosen a better place to pursue my undergraduate education than the University of Arkansas. Funds like yours help make my education affordable. I will fully take advantage of these resources so I can make my college years the best years of my life and to best prepare for my future after graduation.”
Kanat Bektemirov
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Dalton Scott
Dalton grew up in Clinton, Arkansas. He graduated with 93 students as co-valedictorian of his class. He spent his first two years of college at the University of Central Arkansas where he decided he wanted to do computer engineering. After his second year he transferred to the University of Arkansas. He received a job offer from J.B. Hunt during his first semester there and has continued to work for them. He plans on graduating in the Spring Semester of 2015 and hopes to secure a job with a defense company since it has always been a dream of his to work in that sector.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Martin Buckner
Martin is a junior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering. His volunteer work includes community service at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter, TECHO (where he builds houses for people in need), and Fraternidad Jaraye Santa Cruz Bolivia (where he distributes toys and food to families in need during the Christmas holiday season). Martin received 1st place in the Highest Honors Distinction Award as a senior in high school and had the highest GPA in his class. He indicates that he “loves the experience he has had in college so far, because other people with the same interests and hobbies surround him.” He has a strong belief that the Computer Engineering major he is getting will help him and other people have a better life.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Matthew Voss
Matthew is a senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Computer Science. He enjoys volunteering as a translator for non-English speaking families at local public schools. In addition to being a full-time student, he has been working as an intern at J.B. Hunt Transport since March 2013. He has worked one-on-one with users in IT as well as behind the scenes as an Application Development Intern. Matthew notes, “I chose to study Computer Science because of the creativity it allows for when solving problems. There are endless options in algorithms, data structures, and the fun part is finding the best tools for the job.” Immediately after graduation, Matthew hopes to have a position as a programmer. He considers himself a leader and would enjoy one day moving into a management position.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Asif Zaman
Asif is a junior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. He enjoys volunteering for hunger-alleviation charities such as the Arkansas Rice Depot, St. Joseph Farm, and the Soul Food Mission Café. As a life-long technology enthusiast, he is a hobbyist-PC builder in his spare time and is currently exploring the use of low-cost, single-board microcontrollers for home automation projects. His long-term goal is a career in software development, but he is also considering the pursuit of a graduate degree along the way.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Joshua Fisk
Joshua is pursuing a degree in Computer Science. He is finishing up an internship with Field Agent. He met Field Agent at the 2013 Spring STEM Career Fair, and this spring he will be attending school while working there for up to 20 hours per week. His future plans are to work in the developers department with Field Agent or another similar company. Joshua states, “It is a privilege to receive this scholarship. This scholarship encourages me to continue working towards my degree.”
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Christopher Brown
Christopher is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He plans to pursue a Mathematics minor. In high school, he was a member of a SkillsUSA Engineering Technology team placing 10th at the national competition. He held an officer seat as secretary for the Freshman Engineering Leadership Team. Over the summer of 2014, Christopher studied Japanese language abroad through the University of Arkansas. He believes that by attaining a better understanding of the Japanese language, he can better enter the competitive international job market. Christopher’s personal hobbies include programming games, playing racquetball, and reading comedic novels.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Rachel Findley
Rachel is a junior majoring in Computer Science at the University of Arkansas. Rachel greatly enjoys programming and hopes to attend graduate school when she finishes her degree. Rachel’s ultimate goal is to participating in developing technologies that will improve the world. In addition to being a student, Rachel works at the Engineering Welcome Center at the University of Arkansas where she has the opportunity to share her experience as a Computer Science major with potential students.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Taylor Martin
Taylor is a senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering. She has volunteered at the ACM/Acxiom High School Programming Contest at the university, served as a grader at a regional MATHCOUNTS competition for middle school students, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and played violin and guitar to provide comfort for terminally ill patients at the Circle of Life hospice. Taylor is a member of American Indian Science and Engineering Society, ACM, and Society of Women Engineers. Indicating why she loves her major so much, she says, “[It’s] because of the way all of my classes make me think and the challenge of developing my complex problem solving skills. Though I love what I’m studying, I’m very much a people person, and want to branch out from my degree and use the technological background, along with my social skills, to form a career.”
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Austin Brown
Austin is a senior in Computer Science at the University of Arkansas. He is involved in serving the homeless with his church and hopes to soon start working with a team of colleagues to develop a software project. Austin states, “This scholarship gives me the personal advantage of not having student loans. Not having student loans after I graduate will allow me to use the money that I make more generously, giving to ministries and funding my own personal endeavors to reach out to people who need help.” Austin just completed an internship over the summer with Cerner Corporation and has accepted a job offer to work for them after he graduates. He plans to use his degree to work on software with Cerner Corporation that will be used in hospitals around the world.
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Nghia Nguyen
Nghia is an international student pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Information Systems at the University of Arkansas. Nghia involved in several volunteer works (Mentor Launch Program, Acxiom High School Competition). He is a member of several organizations (AITP, ACM). This semester, he participated in Class Gift Council, a group of student representing the University House to spread the idea of “give and take” to other students on campus. As a student who studies abroad, he plans to pursue more knowledge by going to graduate school. Nghia states, “I realize the job that I want in the future and in order to pursue that, I may have to extend the studying time to get some business classes. The scholarship support me in the financial situation.”
Nghia Nguyen
University of Arkansas
College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Ryan Nakamoto
Ryan is originally from Kailua, Hawaii; however, he moved to Little Rock, AR, shortly before high school where he attended Parkview High School. He is currently a senior studying Computer Engineering and Physics. He began his undergraduate research in computational condensed matter physics on the topic of rare earth iron gamets. He finds the research highly intriguing and enjoyable and it has sparked his interest in a career doing professional research. He also has had the privilege of gaining professional experience at Lockheed Martin, GE Healthcare, Hilti Corporation, and Sensys Networks. Through these positions, he was able to augment his abilities in computer engineering and his interpersonal skills. He hopes to build on the experience he has gained and further his education through attending graduate school with participating in internships during the summer. Beyond the classroom, Ryan is engaged in various extracurricular activities. He is currently an outreach officer for the Society of Physics Students, is a member of the Association of Computing Machinery, and is a member of the University of Arkansas Boxing Club.
Arkansas State University
Patricia Davis
Patricia sees it as an immense honor to be recognized by the Arkansas Academy of Computing. As a nontraditional student returning to school after five years of running a successful business, she is very determined to do her best and excel in every course on her way to attaining a bachelor’s degree in both Mathematics and Computer Science. She says she chose the majors because she felt that “they were two of the most challenging programs on campus.”
Patricia has always felt she’s had a natural ability and love for solving challenging problems, so she quickly found a home in mathematics. It wasn’t much longer before she discovered that computer science was an even greater passion of hers rather than mathematics on its own. She is an ambassador for the College of Science and Mathematics to future students who are hoping to pursue a degree in either computer science or mathematics and is a member of the Curriculum Committee for the College of Sciences and Mathematics. She hopes that her success will further inspire other nontraditional students, especially women, to pursue the rewarding and challenging fields of computer science and mathematics.
Arkansas State University
Quan Nguyen
Quan is a senior and Computer Science major at Arkansas State University. For the past two years, he has been involved in A-State Machine, a student web development group at ASU. Quan has participated in several projects, including the redesign of Arkansas State University’s Noyce Scholarship website and the development of the Computer Science degree tracker app. He has competed in many programming challenges such as TopCoder and CodeEval. Quan and his teammate finished in the top 20% last year in the IEEE Extreme Programming Competition. Aside from programming, Quan also enjoys swimming, reading, and surfing the internet. His plan is to work for a top tech company and to one day have his own start-up company.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Cedric Goliday
Working to receive his bachelors degree in Computer Science, Cedric is a 23-year-old student at UAPB. He is the fourth of a household of fourteen and is the second to go to college. He believes that he can succeed in his career. Cedric is originally from Memphis, TN, but he has moved a lot, learning more and more from the different places he’s lived at. Through moving from place to place, he has become more well-rounded culturally and feels like he has the ability to seize more opportunities in life because of it, one prime example being an internship within his department, working alongside incoming freshman in UAPB’s S.T.E.M. program. Beyond the classroom, Cedric is involved with BCM, a Christian campus ministry which allows him to help his fellow students in the matter of their faith. After his bachelor’s, he would like to continue his education and receive a master’s.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Isaiah Thornton
Isaiah is a sophomore at UAPB and is majoring in Computer Science. When he graduates, he sees himself getting a job in the gaming or security industry. He originally chose to study computer science because of his deep interest in computers, having been working on computers since he was a child. As he grew older and played video games more and more, he was told that he would need a degree in Computer Science to get into the industry and help create video games from the ground up.
Isaiah Thornton
Southern Arkansas University
Zachary Hardy
Zachary is a Game and Animation Design major at Southern Arkansas University and is involved in promoting social events related to the Gaming program.