Nikhil Kumar
Year in ISM: Class of 2017-2018
Current Location: The University of Texas at Austin
Topic: Software Engineering
Currently Pursuing: Yes
Digital Portfolio: https://github.com/nikumar1013
How has ISM benefitted Nikhil Kumar?
"Being able to work on a real software project for my original work helped me get a head start on building a solid resume going into college."
What was a challenge they faced and overcame?
"One challenge I faced was actually just this past fall. I was getting rejected by dozens of companies that I was applying to for internships and it was something I had never experienced before. I felt extremely defeated at one point, but I was eventually able to overcome it and performed really well on one of my interviews to finally land an offer in late December of 2019."
Advice
"My number one piece of advice would be to go all out on the Original Work project. It may seem like it's very low stakes at first and that it will mean nothing after high school, but I am seeing now first hand that those who really put in the work and put together something special will continue to see it benefit them throughout college."
Clay Howell
Occupation: Gameplay Programmer
Name of Business: Gearbox Software
Link to Business:
About Mr. Howell
"Programmer at Gearbox Software."
Mentorship Contribution
"At a time when I was not nearly as good of a programmer as I am now two years into college, Clay really helped me see myself as a Software Engineer and showed me that programming was something I could be good at. If anything, he solidified my decision to study Computer Science in college."
- Nikhil Kumar
REMINDER: Mr. Howell's information is listed on the website only for reference purposes. Students are expected to find their own mentors.