Jordan Ball '23
Jordan Ball ’23
Career goal
“After Carthage, I am hoping to get a job as a software developer and eventually go to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. My dream job would be to work at NASA and design software used in the future of space travel.”
How have Carthage faculty had an impact on your life or Carthage career?
“Professor Sara Jensen was the primary reason I added a math minor. She made me realize that it is actually possible to have fun with math and that learning it allows us to view things in a whole new light.
“Professor Perry Kivolowitz made me realize that studying computer science could lead me to places I never dreamed of. Working in the field of computer science led him to create a revolutionary software for visual effects that earned him not only an Academy Award, but also an Emmy Award.
“Laurie Roberts, Western Heritage professor, taught me to notice the little things in people. One of our recurring assignments in my acting class was to find a random person in the world and take notes about what we noticed about them, then make some inferences about who they were beyond their outfit. Prof. Roberts made me realize that even the smallest details about a person would play a major role in who they really were.”
Favorite class
“My favorite class has been Principles of Computer Science I. While teaching us the various concepts in the course, Prof. Kivolowitz would make random references that not many people understood, so he would end up having to explain them or play a video explaining it — this allowed me to learn more about a subject I enjoy in an interactive and interesting format.”
Toughest class
“The toughest class for me, so far, has been my Calculus II class. It was at 8 a.m. every day of the week except for Thursdays. Doing calculus that early in the morning was mentally straining for me. The only saving grace for the class was how energetic, fun, and motivating Prof. Jensen was. She made the class fun and worthwhile.”
Opportunities at Carthage
“My most notable opportunity was joining Carthage’s RockSat team. This team is tasked with designing and building a payload that is to be flown on-board a rocket in order to experience several minutes of zero-gravity. My job was to design and program the on-board temperature sensor and accelerometer to save their specific data during the flight. Working with this amazing team has been an excellent experience for me, and I hope to continue working with them in the future.”
Scholarships
“Of all the scholarships I was awarded, receiving the Carthage Academic Honors Scholarship meant the most to me. This reaffirmed that the hard work I did in high school was not a waste of time and that it helped prepare me for my first year at Carthage and beyond.”
Campus involvement
“My extracurricular involvement includes being the technical director for Carthage WAVE (our radio station), a member of the Carthage Activities Board (CAB), a member of the President’s Ball committee, and a member of the Computer Science Club. I am also considering participating in Greek Life at some point in my Carthage career.”
Favorite moments and memories at Carthage
“My favorite Carthage moment has been going to the Christmas Festival. Not hearing much about it beforehand, I was expecting it to be similar to the concerts my high school held. I was very much mistaken. The concert was absolutely amazing. Every moment was breathtaking. The choirs and bands put on such an outstanding performance that I will definitely be back next year.”
Biggest surprise so far
“During high school, most of the people I talked to said that college consisted of constant homework and studying and that I would rarely find time to have fun. Once I moved in and started to experience real college life, I learned that this was a big lie. While I do have homework, I still have plenty of time to have fun and do stuff that is not relating to college.”
What would your 8-year-old self think of you now?
“Thinking back, my 8-year-old self would be initially confused at my current career path but would eventually understand. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to be a professional stuntman in Hollywood. After realizing that that would require me to get over my fear of heights, I decided that computer science was perfect for me because I really it.”
Why should other students consider your major? What advice do you have for them?
“My best advice for those considering computer science as a major is that it is not easy. I have met people in the past who have told me how simple it is to learn a programming language, but they have never actually done it. While a big part of computer science is learning the various coding languages, the most important part is problem-solving. If you don’t figure out how to solve a certain problem, you won’t be able to code the program. Also, it requires a lot of time outside of class. For each of the projects assigned this semester, I put in a lot of time working on them right when we were assigned them. I would then either get the project done right away or get stuck on a certain problem. This would require me to put in even more time figuring out how to solve it. Doing the project the night it is due will not work because computers don’t like to cooperate.”
