Eduardo Contreras

CPRE 494

Cumulative Reflection

March 17, 2023

Cumulative Reflection

Iowa State University has given me the resources and opportunities to satisfy my

curiosity about computer engineering. Since my first year at Iowa State, I have been told to make

the most out of my time at college through the variety of opportunities ISU offers. I am grateful

to have been given that advice because, without it, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge and

numerous beneficial experiences I have today. I used these opportunities to challenge my

knowledge and skill set outside my comfort zone.

My engineering courses have emphasized the significance of effective teamwork through

various team projects and labs. In my COMS 309 course, where I worked on a semester-long

mobile application project with three other students, we discussed methods and practices for

bonding with team members to encourage efficient communication in a more comfortable team

environment. I was taught the importance of embracing diversity and using each member’s

strengths and differences for complex problem-solving. After learning ways to improve my

teamwork skills, I was able to apply them to many team settings and find ways to improve upon

them. I can now confidently say that teamwork is one of my strongest skills.

With my gained knowledge and improved skills, I pushed myself to get involved more in

the ISU student community and join student organizations. I was part of ISU’s Robotics Club,
IEEE, and SHPE student organizations. With the help of IEEE and SHPE, I was able to create

friendships and network with different companies that worked with computer engineers. I used

these networking opportunities to ask questions that could help me improve as an engineer inside

and outside of classes. The ISU Robotics club was another way for me to gain project experience

outside of class and be part of a team of students from many different engineering majors and

backgrounds. I learned that working with people with different engineering degrees will be much

more common in the industry.

Since my first semester at ISU, every class I have taken has prepared me for later

challenges and courses in my engineering curriculum. My courses emphasize continuous

learning by building upon prior engineering knowledge and experiences. As I work on my senior

design project this semester, I reflect on my core engineering classes and bring my prior

knowledge and gained skills together to work on this year-long project. External sources and

research have been a large part of my education. Research has helped me learn about concepts

useful to my career and project work.

Iowa State University has given me many resources to succeed as a computer engineer

inside and outside the classroom. My classes here at ISU have allowed me to take the knowledge

I have gained and apply it to many real-world problem-solving scenarios and applications. I will

continue to use my experiences and knowledge gained at ISU to succeed as an engineer since I

will soon graduate and work for an industry. I was also able to meet a lot of great people and

create lifelong friendships. Looking back at my ISU experience, I wish I had used these

opportunities sooner. Iowa State University has shown me how much fun one can have from

learning new topics every day.