San Jose State student talks programming

When alumni Angel Hernandez left for San Jose State University in 2011, one goal was on his mind: to fulfill his passion for robotics and computer science.

During his time at SJSU, Hernandez took courses on engineering and eventually found a summer job where he felt the skills he learned at Saratoga directly applied.

According to Hernandez, he soon acquired a job at the Tech Academy of Silicon Valley. He was an teaching assistant who helped expose middle schoolers to mechanical engineering.

He wanted to work at the Academy and help middle schoolers because he enjoyed engineering at a very young age as well. Now, as a sophomore at SJSU, Hernandez is currently majoring in mechanical engineering.

The position required Hernandez to understand the fundamentals of a few computer science languages such as C and knowledge on mechanical engineering.

Hernandez taught attendees how to build wildly popular vex robots and introduce the background to computer science languages.

The vex robot, an easy-to-build robot made up of porous metal structures, was the best way to introduce middle and high school students to mechanical engineering.

According to Hernandez, working with the students allowed him to teach all the knowledge he knew, and go further than the given curriculum.

“I think I just loved being able to motivate kids to really go above and beyond completing the missions we set as a class,” Hernandez said.

The jobs, internships and opportunities Hernandez has held have required him to use many leadership and responsibility skills that, according to Hernandez, have come from Saratoga High.

“I had to really teach the class to work as a team. I think having had experience in robotics and sports in high school helped prepare me for my job,” Hernandez said.

Now a sophomore in college, Hernandez plans to take his aptitude in computer science to a new level.

Previously, Hernandez tutored his friends in multiple languages, and even took part in a project to build an Android Mobile Phone Application.

In addition, SJSU has brought in many guest speakers from professional backgrounds to inspire current students to further their career in engineering.

“We actually had guests speakers come from both San Jose State University's robotics team and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and they talked about student projects which have helped prepare undergrads and grad students in their internships and jobs,” Hernandez said.