Tech Club Seniors Leave Mark on Pinewood

Several seniors will be majoring in STEM in college, among them being Rosalie Wessels, Emmett Smith, Akash Kumar, Vincent Chen, Logan Thompson, Seika Oelschig, Sally King, Ayana Jassal, Andrew Wang, and Seika Oelschig.

Jassal will be attending University of California Berkeley as a pre-med student majoring in molecular cell biology.

“When I was researching Berkeley majors, I knew this was the one I really wanted to do, as it encapsulated all the topics I’m interested in like biochemistry and cellular biology,” Jassal said.

Jassal took AP Chemistry and Honors Biology 2, which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. As a pre-med student, Jassal hopes to dive into the world of biochem and genetic-based research in addition to medicine.

“Watching [Jassal’s] excitement as she discovered some new ideas or connection in biology has fed my teacher’s soul for the past two years. Her joy is why I love my job,” Honors Biology 2 teacher Kimberly Hud-

An aspiring doctor, Wang plans on doing a double major in biology and social sciences at the liberal arts school in Maine, Colby College. Hudson played a significant role in Wang’s passion, as she taught and explained subjects with enthusiasm.

“Andrew’s focus and drive to learn inspires me to always step up my own game as a teacher,” Hudson said. “One day I hope to tag along to the pediatrician’s office with my future grandkid, and I hope it’s Andrew who we find there.

He’s going to make a wonderful doctor.”

Similar to Wang, Oelschig will be going to Colby College for their renowned computer science program. Oelschig intends on majoring in computer science with a possibility of double majoring in science and technology. Oelschig’s curiosity for technology and the Pinewood Tech Club made her fall in love with software.

“Learning and growing with each iteration of products sparked my interest … how do these devices work? How are they getting smart- er/ How are they getting smarter than us?’” Oelschig said.

She would like to pursue a career as a website developer, eventually becoming a project manager while programming and creating websites.

ANDREW WANG Staff Writer

With the end of the school year on the horizon, seniors involved in Pinewood’s Tech Club are preparing to hand over the reins to the next generation of coders. As

Kumar participated in a 24-hour Hackathon in March, their last major competition of the year. It took place at Juniper Network’s Aspiration Dome, hosting over 425 attendees. In a bittersweet fashion, the experience served as a reminder of how far they have grown in their interests for coding.

Tech Club President Rosalie Wessels said that Tech Club has become a huge part of her life.

“I started going to tech club meetings from the first day of school,” Wessels said. “About halfway through my freshman year, I took on more of a leadership role, which involved coordinating more projects.” goal from the start.”

The Tech Club has been central to the development of Wessels’ interests in computer science and engineering.

King, the vice president, said the skills she has picked up throughout her time coding in high school will serve her there in the future.

“For me, participating in the hackathons a few times each year has really taught me to work efficiently,” King said. “I also learned how to collaboratively code and present a project in front of a panel of judges, which strengthened my public speaking skills.” one of Pinewood’s mostprominent STEM-oriented student organizations, the club aims to involve its members in a variety of activities that will strengthen their computational skills.

As King leaves for the University of California Berkeley, she hopes that the Tech Club will remain an open space for students to explore and develop lasting relationships with a diverse group of coders.

However, Oelschig’s enthusiasm for computer science is dampened by pragmatism.

“One of the concerns I have is [that] technology revolves around the future…it’s really hard to tell what direction the world is going to go in,” Oelschig said.

Seniors Rosalie Wessels, Sally King, Ayana Jassal, Carolyn Steeg, Seika Oelschig, and Akash

“I think the club has definitely reinforced my passion for tech. I was already interested in the field, but I loved the collaborative nature of our projects. I want [the younger members] to keep it going strong,” Wessels said. “They’re definitely going to become more involved in coding, which was my

Senior Akash Kumar explains how the club motivated him to delve deeper into his interest in coding.

“Personally, having that little jump when an algorithm works is deeply fulfilling,” Kumar said.

“I wanted to use my time towards longer lasting projects, like the spirit point tracker for Pinewood that we’ve been working on throughout the year.”