Communications of the ACM
High School Senior Brings Pianist's Perspective to Computer Science
Elizabeth Walker developed her problem-solving skills in computer science classes in the 10th grade.
Perspective is important for Cumberland Valley High School (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) senior Elizabeth Walker.
It was a changed perspective of math that put her on a course to study computer science at Cornell University next fall, and a determination gained as a piano student.
Walker was challenged by an honors pre-calculus class in ninth grade. "My teacher was very particular and she really liked us not only to be able to solve a problem but to be able to solve it elegantly and in a smart way. That definitely forced me to change the way I think about math and think about problem solving," she says.
The changed perspective led her to redirect her classes to prepare for a career in computer science. "What I think is going to be most important when I am choosing a career path is to find a path in this field that will definitely be helping others," she says.
Walker doesn't mind a good challenge. She's been playing the piano for 10 years, and has been working on perfecting Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 since last April or May.
"It definitely is a challenge, and there have been times when I wanted to give up," she says. "The act of the struggle and that challenge is where you are able to grow the most as a musician."
From The Sentinel
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