Since getting an IBM PC (25 MHz 486SX) at the age of seven, I've been fascinated by computers and the transformative potential that they seem so capable of. I started programming in BASIC at age 10, and tried my hand at Java when I was 12. Since then, I have been enamored with programming, and making machines do interesting things.
Truly, computers are worthless unless they are able to address some very real need, and in our current age, computers are information devices more than anything else. Heading to the United States from Jamaica to study Information Technology shifted my focus from a pure machine-centric mindset to one that opened my mind to the possibilities of integrating computers into ever more facets of our lives. The psychology courses that I elected to take—especially cognitive psychology—pushed me in the direction of Human-Computer Interaction. I cannot abandon my technical interests however, and the draw of Information Analysis and Retrieval is just as compelling.