My Journey Through AI: A Sophomore's Perspective
As a sophomore in high school, I have a deep curiosity to learn more about AI.
If you are a high schooler hoping to explore modern technology, you might also be interested in learning more about my personal journey through AI.
Beginning My Journey Through AI
WHAT AI SUMMER COURSES DID I CHOOSE?
Early on in my journey with AI, my initial interests were influenced by my parents who have careers in information technology and data science. My parents encouraged me to take various coding camps each summer.
During my studies, I have learned Scratch, Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS, and video game development.
3D Game Development was my favorite camp. In this course, I learned that AI can make games (i.e. Minecraft) more interesting by adding more responsive and intelligent behavior.
To start with AI, I recommend learning Python, a language that is best used in machine learning. During distance learning, I found motivation to take a virtual course called “Use Python for Research” from Harvard.
The more I learn coding in my journey through AI, the more I am hooked into it.
My High School Journey Through AI
WHAT HIGH SCHOOL COURSES SUPPORT MY AI LEARNING?
During my freshman year of high school, I took Computer Science I Pre-AP.
Now, as a sophomore, I am taking AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A. AI is a branch of Computer Science.
I have also learned that strong math skills are necessary to build a strong foundation in AI.
Because of this, I recommend taking advanced math courses to better understand what the programming code is actually doing.
For example, when I took the “Use Python for Research” course from Harvard, I lacked the math background and skills required to fully understand the programming for statistics.
Summer Learning with Inspirit AI
WHAT EXTRACURRICULARS HAVE SUPPORTED MY JOURNEY THROUGH AI?
At the end of my freshman year, I participated in AI summer courses offered with Inspirit AI.
During my Inspirit AI summer course, I was curious how Siri could recognize human voices, which led me to learn about the concept of Natural Language Processing, a branch of AI that enables computers to understand text and human words.
I have also learned that AI is a broad concept that can be used in fields beyond computer science and engineering, such as art creation, music production, and much more. In the coming school year, I am interested in organizing a student club for AI gaming. My hope is that many students who share the same interests in video gaming will join this club.
Lastly, as I look forward to continuing my journey through AI, I currently aspire to major in AI in college so that I can become an expert in the AI field.
