Winner of the 2nd Annual Raju Patnam Computer Science Award

I'm pleased to announce the results of the 2nd Annual Raju Patnam Computer Science Scholarship. I enjoyed speaking to the applicants, especially because many were first-year students.

This year's recipient of the scholarship is Daniel Alexander. Daniel is a first-year at Wofford who took his 1st computer science in Fall '21 and is currently enrolled in data structures and algorithms. During the interviews, some things that stood out about him were his clear communication skills, candid responses, and his display of a very strong work ethic.

The honorary award recipient was Benjamin Sale. Similar to Daniel, what impressed me was his attention to detail, his relaxed demeanor when answering questions, and his desire to learn. He's also an entrepreneur running his own vegan baking business.

I'll be honest. I get some satisfaction from my job and completing courses for my Master's. However, being able to recognize, mentor and award motivated computer science students, especially people from my alma mater, is something I'm incredibly passionate about.

Congratulations again to both of you! I'm excited to watch your careers grow over the next few years and see where you end up #beyondthelecture.

A few thank yous:

Aaron Garrett and David Sykes, thank you for willing to serve as board members of my non-profit. We learned a lot in our first year as an organization, and I'm excited for what's to come.

A huge thank you to all donors who helped fund this year's scholarship. Special thanks to Joey Shakespeare and Dr. Anjani Jammula.

Stay tuned for more information about our website as well as upcoming programs.