蜜桃传媒

When Caleb Jiminez 鈥�27 began his classes at Washington, he approached computer science with a bias, believing the field was simply technical. Three years later, after participating in two internships with Shaun Ramsey, professor of computer science, he understands this is a common misconception. He now argues that app development is a process that requires creativity and planning.

 

"People think of app development as you're just doing code all the time,鈥� said Jiminez. 鈥淏ut I see it more as a design process.鈥�

Jiminez describes app design as heavily people-conscious, focused on the target audience's wants and preferences. Before coding starts, the IT team must decide on the app's scope. The software developer is responsible for researching and planning how their vision will align with the user.

鈥淵ou have to think about who's going to be using this app, and what they would want,鈥� Jiminez said. For him, jumping straight into coding signifies a lack of planning that 鈥渢hen sets [the project] back really far.鈥�

This perspective has been shaped by his hands-on experiences both inside and outside the classroom. During his John S. Toll Fellowship with Ramsey, Jiminez worked on a project involving ray marching, a graphics technique that generates images. Alongside the team, he helped create a tutorial aimed at making that method suitable for beginners. The goal of the project was in part to teach others how to approach unfamiliar concepts. This approach has become central to his own learning philosophy.

That philosophy has continued to mature in his current position with Ramsey, where he is helping design an 鈥渁utomat designer鈥� application. This project focuses on developing a visual mapping tool to help professors teach the theory of computation more effectively, since current diagrams are hand-drawn and can be very complex.

Beyond his internship work, Jiminez also serves as a tutor at the Quantitative Skills Center, where he supports students in computer science and mathematics. Teaching has reinforced his belief in the importance of learning how to learn, a lesson he deems to be one of the most valuable from his time at Washington.

鈥淭hey don't just teach you [how to] do it, they teach you how to learn how to do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ven if I don't have the skills yet, I know how to get there.鈥�

Jiminez credits much of his growth to faculty mentorship, particularly Ramsey and his advisor, Austin Lobo, associate professor of computer science and director of the information systems minor. He notes that their teaching styles emphasize engagement, accessibility, and practical application, qualities that have helped him become more confident in individual and collaborative work.

Looking ahead, Jiminez hopes to continue developing his own projects while pursuing a career as a software developer. He remains optimistic about the future of the field, particularly as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence reshape how developers work.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to learn how to use it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 just going to become another tool that speeds up development.鈥�

Reflecting on his journey, Jiminez urges prospective students not to be intimidated by assumptions surrounding computer science.

鈥淒on鈥檛 fear the math,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he math builds on incremental steps, and then it鈥檚 not as much math as one might think.鈥�

For Jiminez, success in computer science and in college more broadly is not about mastering everything at once, but about developing the mindset to keep learning. 

鈥� Andraya Sudler '26