Julia Nguyen
Julia Nguyen is a fourth-year Computer Science major at the University of Florida. In May 2023, she will graduate with a minor in Japanese Studies from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida.
In 2021, she participated in a software technology internship with State Farm Insurance, a nationally recognized Fortune 50 company, in which she developed several front-end and back-end web components for their messaging platform. Additionally, she has been volunteering with SpaceML, a NASA-affiliated non-profit committed to building open-source technology, since January 2021. These professional experiences have allowed her to gain meaningful industry experience working on various, real-impact software projects.
In addition to her technical skills, Julia has strong language proficiency in Japanese, achieving JLPT N2 certification in 2022. She works on translation commissions in her free time. She hopes to combine her passion for technology and language in her future work.
Ryan Porter
Ryan Porter is a computer science major at the University of Florida. This past summer, he worked as a software engineering intern at Optum. He was on the identity access management team and created a new web portal for managers to view and remove access to buildings and applications. This project involved creating new components for the web portal in Blazor and new endpoints in .NET.
Throughout his time in college, he has worked on a variety of projects in Java, JavaScript, C++, and Python. The most notable of which was a web application for a local clothing company that allowed them to easily find the most popular movies and TV shows using Google Trends.
Prior to starting college, Ryan became an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America in 2017. He planned and led a service project at a local church that resulted in the creation of a firepit and patio for members to hold events and gatherings at. During his time in Boy Scouts, Ryan learned the important values of integrity, perseverance, and hard work.
Edison Xie
Edison Xie is completing his 4th year at the University of Florida, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Chemistry. In May 2023, he will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and a minor in Chemistry from the Liberal Arts and Science College.
Edison is part of various professional student organizations, one of which is the UF Hackathoners. He has participated in many hackathons where he crafted creative ideas and applied the skills he developed in class to program a viable product for presentation. One worthy mention is the use of multiple Google Cloud APIs to construct a Chrome extension that allows users to learn different languages on the go. With this product, Edison won the Google Cloud track for the best use of Google Cloud API.
During the last summer, Edison interned at Amazon as a Software Development Engineer (SDE) in the AWS division. There, he developed the necessary skills needed as a Software Engineer and gained valuable experience in the industry. In the short term, Edison is working on getting certified as an AWS Cloud Practitioner to gain more knowledge about the systems he worked with. After graduation, he looks forward to beginning work as a Software Engineer for a company to gain more knowledge and professional practical experience.
Edison is very passionate about Computer Science and mentoring. This semester, he shares his knowledge and passion for Computer Science to many students as a teaching assistant for Programming Fundamentals 1. He also focuses on balancing academics with a healthy lifestyle. Edison stays fit by going to the gym and playing on volleyball teams during intermural season.
Victor Torres
Victor Torres is a 4th year computer science major at the University of Florida. He has experience in Front-End Development with tools such as React and Angular. He has made his own personal website using react and has worked on an eLearning video streaming platform using Angular. He is truly passionate about software development and enjoys the process of building applications.
Over the years, Victor has garnered knowledge in programming languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, C++, Java, and Python. And is currently a member of the University of Florida’s Design Build Fly team where he works as the treasurer purchasing all required parts for the team. He is truly a hard-working individual passionate about his future in engineering.