Work History: The Ohio State University - Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Skills: C, C++, MATLAB, and SolidWorks

Working for The Ohio State University was one of the must fulfilling experiences of my life. Teachers have direct impact on students. It's visceral and deeply human. The experience stays with both the student and the instructor forever.

The teaching team I worked with was an extraordinary mix of talent, chemistry, and purpose. There was a palpable feeling of magic in the air. We were mostly undergraduates, but I'd choose to work with that group again over many professional teams I've been a part of since.

As an undergraduate teaching assistant for The Ohio State University's Fundamentals of Engineering Honors program, I provided in-class instruction for 5 courses over 3 years. Each course followed a consistent structure: four weekly lectures and work sessions led by a professor with help from two undergraduate TAs, plus a weekly lab run by a graduate TA, alongside the professor and undergraduates. With roughly 30 students per class, the instructor-to-student ratio was high, which allowed us be genuinely hands-on with students.

We taught 3D computer-aided design using SolidWorks and programming fundamentals with C, C++, and MATLAB. Each year culminated in a 72-team autonomous robot competition. The teaching staff built multi-objective course where the robots completed tasks like placing stoplight or moving a garbage into a designated area. The students were given microcontrollers, a budget, and access to tools like laser cutters and 3D printers. They had free rein to design and build the robots from scratch. I was deeply involved in this program; more on that in the next page.

I approached this role competitively: I wanted students in my classes to be the best and win that tournament :) I went to extreme lengths: bringing students medicine when they were sick, cooking them food when the campus didn't meet their dietary restrictions, providing extracurricular instruction, especially related to job interviews and career advice.

I'm proud of our students' accomplishments. Some returned to the program as TAs themselves. Many went on to lead successful careers. It was rewarding to see them grow and succeed.