do something BIG!
Meet Andrew
Andrew attended iD Tech Camps in New York for five summers in a row, exploring tech genres from video game design to programming. His resulting accomplishments are as diverse as the courses he’s taken – he created his own platform video game after taking Video Game Creation, designed websites for his school district and local businesses after honing his skills in Web Design & Flash® Animation, and got creative with professional playbills and logos after learning Photoshop®. Now at age 19 he’s a freshman at Columbia University with plans to go into either a tech or media career. He will be an instructor at iD Tech Camps held at Adelphi this summer, and can’t wait to share his passion for technology with the next generation of students.
iD: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are your hobbies?
Andrew: I am an aspiring amateur musician. I play many instruments, including guitar, bass and piano, and I sing. I love to record and produce my own music, and recently I got into the hobby of making videos regularly on YouTube.
I also love astronomy, and I follow NASA and many astronomy blogs. I’m also big into technology and computers, and follow all of the latest tech news. I love sci-fi movies and video games of all types, especially action-adventure games.
iD: What courses did you take at iD Tech Camps?
A: I attended five years (2005-2009) of iD Tech Camps held at Vassar College so I’ve taken a lot of courses. This includes Video Game Creation, Programming in C++ or Java, 3D Game Design, Gaming Athletes, Web Design & Flash Animation, Robotics, 3D Modeling with Autodesk Maya® and 3D Game Modding. Many of these courses have been updated and modified since I have taken them.
iD: What opportunities did iD Tech Camps give you that you otherwise wouldn’t have had? Did you have a lot of exposure to technology before iD Tech Camps?
A: Years ago before I started attending iD Tech Camps, I did not have much exposure to technology. There were computers in my house but I was always distanced from them. My school didn’t do a satisfying job of promoting the use of technology outside of computer-related courses.
iD Tech Camps gave me the chance to look deeper into something I had always been fascinated with, but never really had the chance to explore. I had always been awestruck by what can be done with computers and technology, and my experience at iD really helped to push me in the right direction.
iD: How have you used what you’ve learned with iD Tech Camps? (Any projects or clubs at school?)
A: I’ve become a much more experienced gamer!
On a more serious note, however, the software skills and experience that I gained at iD Tech Camps have helped me a lot. I used what I learned in Video Game Creation to design my own platformer game that I successfully distributed to many school friends. On top of that, I have helped design web pages for my school district, as well as a handful of local businesses and nonprofit organizations. I also designed playbills for many performances at my school, as well as logos and posters for various clubs and organizations. It was almost like freelance work! Currently I am using what I’ve learned in Autodesk Maya and other software products to help design and build a community project for my Engineering class this semester at college.
iD: What do you plan to do with this knowledge in the future?
A: I am currently a freshman at Columbia University in New York City, and I am studying Computer Science. My primary interest is vision and graphics, or the ways humans can interact with various interfaces, as well as what’s possible for the future. I would love to be able to work at a technology firm (Google, Microsoft®, etc.) or media company (game studio, movie studio) that explores these possibilities.
iD: Does coming to iD help you improve in other aspects of your life besides technology? Can you explain?
A: Despite the unfortunate stereotypes surrounding “computer geeks” (who are actually the coolest people in the world), iD Tech Camps really helped me get into the social scene with my peers. I hadn’t really been around many people at school who shared a mutual interest in technology, and I was really able to connect with many other campers, and have retained friendships with many of them—even from my first year—to this day.
iD: How was daily life at camp?
A: Daily life at camp was a blast. Like any first time camper I was nervous going in, but I felt right at home by the first day of my first summer. Daily itinerary was set up in a way that I would never get bored, and there was always something fun or productive to do. I’ve never had a mean or poorly-trained instructor, and everyone loved participating in activities.
iD: Any advice for future iD Tech campers?
A: iD Tech Camps will give you a technological and social experience that you will have trouble finding elsewhere. If you stick with it, try everything. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and weekends are 100% worth it.
iD: Anything else you want to share with us?
A: I’m going to be an instructor at iD Tech Camps held at Adelphi University this summer! I was so excited to find out that I was going to teach at the same place that has done so much good for me since 7th grade. It’s going to be a really exciting summer.
Check out some of the cool courses Andrew mentioned. Register early and do something BIG with iD this summer!
