Name: Andrew Whitely
Age: 20
Year: Junior
Hometown: Coral Springs, FL
Major: IT and Computer Science Minor
Her Campus (HC): You’re involved in a lot of organizations on and off campus, can you tell me which ones and a bit about them?
Andrew Whitely (AW): I’m Vice President of Codeducation. We’re an organization that really wants to break the stigma behind coding/programming and teach people that it’s not something crazy hard or something you have to have a natural talent to do. I’m also involved in Social Spear, which is an organization in which we want to expose people to the social media industry as a viable career path,and show that it’s more than just running a Twitter or Instagram account. AITP, the Association of IT Professionals, connects IT students with professionals in the field. It also allows students to build connections and get to know more about the fields they’ll be going into after graduation, in addition to providing the chance to get internships or full time jobs. I’m also newly involved in Students & Technology in Academia, Research, & Service (STARS) and the Student Alumni Association.
HC: Which organization would you say you’re most passionate about and why?
AW: I would say Codeducation. It’s a newer organization and they have a good mission behind themselves. I remember when I was in high school and was first exposed to programming, I didn’t have a great time because my teacher wasn’t all that. But we try and break it down to the simple things so that everyone can come and learn and leave with a positive experience.
HC: How has your position as Vice President had an impact on you?
AW: I feel like it’s made me become more confident in a lot of ways. For one, it’s easier to talk to groups of people and you really learn patience and how to interact with people when you have to teach them something from the ground zero.
HC: You said you’re an IT major with a minor in Computer Science. What made you interested in this field? What do you think you might want to do in the industry when you graduate?
AW: I think just growing up while all this new technology was being invented and released, as well as having to be the one to teach my parents and family how to use it, kept me up to date and interested in everything going on in the field. When I graduate, my current plan is working towards being a web developer and designer.
HC: I can imagine that’s a very time intensive major. How do you juggle all of that along with your extracurriculars?
AW: Time management is something I still struggle with, but having all of my events synced up to my calendar helps keep me organized on a day-to-day or week-to-week business.