Isaiah Chapman

What made you decide to enroll at the University of Maryland?
I decided to enroll at the University of Maryland due to Maryland's engineering school and the distance it was from home. I knew that I wanted to go to an engineering school, but I did not want to go too far from home. The University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering is highly ranked in the country, which assured me that I was going to get a good quality education.

What major/career path do you plan on pursuing and how did you select that path?
I am majoring in computer engineering at the University of Maryland. Ever since I was young, I have always been interested in robotics, which led me to go to a STEM high school. In high school, I took coding classes and participated in coding programs, so I knew I wanted to major in something coding related. I chose to pick computer engineering over computer science because I knew I wanted to work on hardware along with software.

Activities I do outside of class or community service/volunteer activities I'm involved with:
Outside of class, I participate in the Maryland Promise Program and C.D. Mote Incentive Awards Program. In these two programs, I participate in community meetings, community service projects, high school outreach, and learn about skills that will help students in college and the work world.

Aside from academics, what else do you hope to take away from your time at Maryland?
Besides academics, I hope to take away a great social network from Maryland. From speaking to multiple college graduates and staff at the university, I've learned that your social network is just as important if not more important than your grades in college. I want to build my network by talking to professors and going to networking events to ensure that I meet people from all different backgrounds.

What are your future goals after graduation?
After graduation, I want to participate in a program or start a program that gives all students in Baltimore City a chance to explore their STEM interests. I want to do this because I noticed growing up that STEM programs were only targeted at the students with the highest grades in school due to the limited resources that the school system put into STEM programs. I do not currently have any specific career goals, but I know that I want to do something computer engineering related.