I cannot express my excitement at working with my sister and mother enough. I have never seen two more dedicated and curious people who view every day as a new opportunity to learn and grow. I live every day trying to live up to the model they set through their actions.

I have been interested in video games from a very young age. I was always fascinated by the idea that people could tell such intricate stories that allowed the player to become immersed in. However, I never thought that I would ever be able to contribute to the artistic field of gaming. That is, not until my first programming class. For me, the logic driven language of coding makes sense, in a way nothing else has. Every new line of code holds a sense of suspense, excitement, and expectation. My mind races as I run each new addition of code, crossing my fingers hoping that it both compiles and does exactly what I was expecting. Each failed code provides a new learning experience and adds to the library of reference material on which I can base my future programs. There is nothing quite like it.

As I have grown, I have found that gaming provides me with different things than it used to. Gone are my days of competitive gaming. Now, I get the most enjoyment out of sharing an experience with friends and family. My family has spent many nights sitting around, taking turns playing games, guessing what twists or plot devices might progress the story into the next chapter, discussing the beauty of the models or sprites, analyzing level design and character progression, and geeking out over the game physics.