Riley Gusa

      I went through the Running Start program at Edmonds Community College to earn both my high school diploma and DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement). DTA is similar to an AA (Associates in Arts) but is more focused on preparing students for a particular major and transferring those credits to any four-year university. When I graduated from EdCC I had the same amount of credits in Computer Science as Psychology, so I emphasized in both Human Psychology and in Computer Information Systems.

      I was admitted directly into the Bachelors of Science in Computer Science program at DigiPen Institute of Technology. Each program is required to complete 3-4 years worth of projects, in their specific fields. I transferred to Computer Engineering because I prefer working on firmware projects than game projects. Also, in this degree program, I have a better opportunity to work on and study self-driving vehicles and machine learning topics.

      The Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering is a four-year program that includes two semester-long and two year-long projects. Those projects have emphasized in ASIC self-driving vehicles. I have also worked on side projects such as video games and user experiences that utilize custom hardware. The program also includes an additional 134 credits worth of course work. I have enrolled in summer semesters both years I have been at DigiPen and taken additional classes on top of the recommended course sequence, so I graduated a year early with minors in Mathematics and Physics.

      Now I am working towards completing my Masters in Computer Science at Washington State University with an emphasis in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning and Systems & Networking. I am on track to graduate May 2022.