do something BIG!
Meet Steffen
Steffen has attended our summer camps at Stanford for two seasons in a row, taking two different programming courses, learning new skills and making new friends along the way. With an interest in biological systems and artificial intelligence, Steffen recently created a computer science club at his high school and has future plans of making a difference in the fields of science and technology.
iD: How many seasons have you attended iD Tech Camps?
Steffen: I attended in 2007 and 2008, and thanks to that strong base I was able to attend a 4 unit college course at UC Berkeley.
iD: Your hometown and state?
S: La Jolla, California.
iD: Which iD Tech Camps locations have you attended?
S: Both times I attended the Stanford University locations. My mom tried to bribe me with more weeks if I visited another college campus, but being in the backyard of iD Tech Camp’s headquarters was a unique experience because I got to meet Pete in person (the president).
iD: What course(s) have you enrolled in over the years?
S: Programming One and Programming V 2.0.
iD: What do you do for fun when you aren’t at our computer camp?
S: I train for triathlons with the Break-Away Training team. I’m on The Bishops School’s water polo and swim teams; other than that I just like to be with my family and friends, enjoying great conversations filled with anything from deep thought to continuous laughter. I appreciate the big and small moments in life whether it’s watching my favorite TV show or a walk on the beach.
iD: What are your favorite things about our summer camp?
S: The summer camp is a great place to grow as an entire person while learning really cool technology skills. Some camps are all about learning, but iD Tech Camps also incorporates time for games, socializing and campus life, which makes it a well-rounded camp that is enjoyable in all aspects. When you go there, you get immersed in a very unique environment where learning is mixed with fun almost seamlessly-I wish school could be more like it!
iD: Does coming to iD Tech Camps help you improve in other aspects of your life besides technology? Can you explain?
S: Yes, at iD Tech Camps I really saw how hard work can pay off and turn into something really cool that can make a difference. After the first year, I started to write programs that solved my algebra problem sets! You learn this most at iD Tech Camps through the final project. I was astounded at how step by step, the smaller components of my program grew to a complicated final project. It taught me that determination can be turned into great results, pushing you outside of your comfort zone and that has helped me in all aspects of my life – sports, academics, even making new friends.
iD: Is iD Tech Camps a good place to make friends? Why?
S: iD Tech Camps is a great place to make friends. When I was 6 years old, I got tested for something called “Seminar.” It takes certain children who “test in” and puts them in school together for the rest of school until college. This was an amazing experience because I was surrounded by kids who had similar interests and similar experiences. At the same time we were all very different. I’ll never forget in third grade we gave country presentations based on our families and we had 12 different countries represented!
iD is very similar to this experience – it’s a great place to make friends because we all have similar technology interests but very unique backgrounds. I felt like it was the best of both worlds – common ground and diversity! The camp sets up many opportunities for campers to easily socialize whether it’s tossing a football around, playing Apples to Apples®, or rocking Guitar Hero®.
iD: What are your future goals? Will you be attending college? If you are in college, where?
S: In terms of life goals, I consider myself a part of a global community. I want to use my knowledge to make a difference. I want to create great things that benefit man-kind. Basically, I want to give back to society while enjoying life.
One area that I’m particularly interested in is the intersection between artificial intelligence and biological systems. I’ve been asking myself since 7th grade “Can we write better programs to improve artificial intelligence by mimicking the way biological human beings learn?” I’ve been reading some books on how the brain learns and I really think there’s an opportunity to make a big difference in this field. An immediate goal (dream) of mine would be to get an internship in a computer science/AI department with a leader in research and development in this field!
And, yes, I do plan to attend college. I really believe that a college education is an enabler for making a difference. I’ll be able to study under some of the greatest minds in science and technology. Being influenced by these mentors will give me knowledge and experience…“tools”. And I’m sure I’ll meet some cool people there too!
iD: How has iD Tech Camps impacted these goals?
S: If my goal is to make a difference, the iD Tech Camps has played a huge role in impacting these goals. Firstly, we live in a knowledge society. Countries that want to transform themselves are doing it behind technology. My mom recently went to Brazil to discuss policies and practices to move the country from an industrial society to knowledge-based society where technology innovation drives the country’s future.
Even though I had the ideology to try and make a difference before I went to iD Tech Camps, I didn’t know how or what discipline would help me get there.
After going to iD Tech Camps, the environment fostered in me a strong passion for computer programming. Now I plan to major in computer engineering when I go to college. I’m still young, but I’m pretty passionate about the area of AI because it seems like a really interesting field that has room for real changes in the way we live. There’s even a video out of the UK talking about how the biology of the natural world informs robot design and engineering. That video came out in January and I’ve been reading books about the brain and programming since 7th grade.
iD: What’s your favorite tech gadget?
S: My iPod touch® for sure. It’s pretty much an all in one device for games, music, videos….etc. It just needs a phone (I’m talkin to you mom).
iD: What’s your favorite video game?
S: Probably Burnout ParadiseTM because of the beautiful graphics and fast game play.
iD: What’s the #1 way you communicate with your friends?
S: I like to communicate face to face since I don’t like to stay inside for long, but on the computer I would say Facebook® chat would be the #1 tool for me.
iD: Why do you keep coming back to iD Tech Camps?
S: iD Tech Camps is really something I look forward to in the summer because I am surrounded by people like me in an environment where I can learn and enjoy every minute, because it is mixed with time for relaxation and socializing. It is also a great way to see what college campus life might be like.
iD: Any advice for future iD Tech Camps students?
S: Absolutely! Ask lots of questions. iD Tech Camps is not a memorization experience. You need to really understand the underlying principles of what you’re doing. This will ignite your passion. I guess I’ll add to start with something that you think you are interested in but try and stay for more weeks and explore other subjects you know nothing about. iD Tech Camps is a great first exposure to robotics, programming, web design, game design….
iD: Please tell us about your experience at iD Tech Camps has influenced you starting a CS club at your high school.
S: After I developed a passion for programming at iD Tech Camps, I continued with courses throughout the school year. This passion for programming made me want to share it with others. I thought a great way to find practical uses for programming skills and meet “like minds” would be to start a computer science club at my school. We are currently developing a website for a student-run publishing body and we also participate in programming competitions such as “Top Coder.”
Check out some of the cool courses Steffen mentioned. Register early and do something BIG this summer!
