My name is Leah Plofchan and I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science through the College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. I am interested in software development in cyber security and am looking for an experience to apply my skills.
My decision to study Computer Science was not a typical or planned decision. I entered Notre Dame in the College of Engineering as an undeclared freshman with absolutely no interest/background in Computer Science. I really never even thought about Computer Science until the spring of my Freshman year, when we did small coding assignments in my Intro to Engineering class. This small bit of exposure to Computer Science sparked a serious interest that caused me to start asking questions and talking to other students/professors. With barely any experience, I decided to take the risk and change my major to Computer Science and haven’t looked back since.
Now, about a year and a half later, I know that I made the best decision. I am constantly learning new things and being amazed at all of the cool things that people are creating in this field. With this major, I have had the opportunity to experience awesome programs like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne’s HackIllinois hackathon and ThinkChicago, a program aimed at introducing students to Chicago’s growing tech scene. I can’t wait to continue learning and begin applying my skills.
I am currently studying abroad at University College Dublin in Ireland.
Relevant coursework includes: Data Structures and Algorithms, Networks and Internet Systems, Processor Design, Basic UNIX, Logic Design, Fundamentals of Computing I&II, Leadership and Management
BS in Computer Science, 2018
University of Notre Dame
Interactive GUI for 2016 Presidential Election poll results
Created an HTTP client and server in Python using sockets that would communicate through low-level system calls
Distributed Computing project implemented in Python that harnessed multiple machines to brute-force crack approximately 10,000 passwords.
A GUI recreates the Windows Paint application, allowing users to create art.