In July of 2023, senior Daniel Gascon attended Grand Valley State University’s GenCyber camp which helped to enhance his love for computer science.
The GenCyber program is a cybersecurity camp for high school students. At this camp, he learned about many basic cybersecurity concepts, such as the forensics of software, artificial intelligence, and more. He enjoyed meeting new people who share a common interest with him: computer science.
“[We learned] the basics of encryption,” Daniel said. “If you have a file you want to send, but you can’t afford to compromise the message and wire the encryption, that’s a big part of encryption keys. We started learning about the seizure encryption of Ancient Rome, where there were several thousand bits, like 2,000 bits, of encryption that unless you have the key, it [is] almost impossible to brute force your way in. Similar to a password, if it’s complex, it’s harder for the criminal to go through a locked door.”
Listening to Daniel talk about encryption is like sitting in a Calculus BC class as a 5th grader because he is so knowledgeable about anything and everything science.
One of the main reasons Daniel is so passionate about computer science is because it serves a wide variety of purposes in the way the world functions. He believes that if he pursues science in his future career, he will be helping our country become a better place. Daniel thinks that the rise of artificial intelligence is as significant as many other innovations in the past, so it is important for him to go into the computer science field.
“Computer science is a field where you essentially experiment and learn the fundamentals of things like software and hardware,” Daniel said. “I think computer science is as revolutionary as farming 12,000 years ago. You have the stone revolution, you have this revolution, you have the industrial revolution. I think that computer science, especially things like AI are as significant as say farming, industrialization, and the discovery of this metal or that metal.”
Some of the things that Daniel is doing right now to prepare for a future in computer science include taking various courses such as AP Computer Science to understand the basics of the career. He also participates in Model UN.
“I’m also taking an AP Computer science course to [understand] the basics of programming,” Daniel said. “Things like programs have a large learning curve and I think it’s better to tackle it now than to know nothing in college. Software is fundamentally universal and can be the backbone of society.”
When Daniel isn’t immersing himself in the computer science world, he enjoys relaxing at home, playing games with his brothers, and traveling with his family.
“I like hanging out, playing games, and relaxing, I like to relax when I’m home,” Daniel said. “I like to travel sometimes, especially to places as close as. I have been a couple of times to Manila since I have family there. This coming June, it is not confirmed, but my family and I have a particularly strong interest in going to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. If the vacation is long enough, maybe even Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
Daniel believes that science is an integral part of society, and he thinks it is important for people to express interest in science because of its importance in daily life.
“Science is what really motivates us to do what we are doing,” Daniel said. “Curiosity, and innovation, that’s what drives us as humans. Efficiency is what drives innovation because if we didn’t have science how would we know what curriculum to teach? Where does the wheel go? How would we eat? It depends on science.”
