So… Who Am I?

One of the most useful skills anyone can learn in college is how to pitch themselves effectively. Whether it’s getting to know someone new, trying to get that dream job you’ve wanted for years, or even chatting up a MPS (member of the preferred sex) at the bar, showing yourself off is important.

So I figured I’d try to practice my own (unabridged) pitch today! I realized that it’s been a couple days since I began posting on Medium and none of you have a clue who I am yet, so let’s remedy that :)

My name is Michael Cao and I’m currently a junior studying Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State. I’m a fairly average Chinese American dude who’s into computers, social good, and hackathons. I grew up all over the country, having lived in places like California, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and now Pennsylvania; I’m a voracious traveler and love to immerse myself in and experience new things.

As a kid, I knew I wanted to make an impact in the world, even if it was a tiny one. Helping others is my passion; I wanted to work in a job that would allow me to help others and see them grow. Combining this with my passion for everything computers, I decided that I wanted to be a computer programmer, focusing on the interaction between people and computers and eventually creating my own startup focused on helping the disadvantaged somehow.

To work towards this goal, I ceaselessly pursued computer programming throughout middle and high school, avidly studying computer languages like Scratch, Java, Visual Basic, Python, and JavaScript, as well as joining different clubs and extracurriculars to broaden my experience such as robotics, tennis, rotary interact, and more. While I wasn’t stellar in subjects like science or math (as would be expected out of me), I excelled in Computer Programming, Social Studies, and English. I spent a bit too much time goofing off, though, and wasn’t top of my class or anything like that; I was a fairly average student overall.

Now that I’m in college, I’ve remained an average student, but narrowed down my interests quite a bit more. Though I’ve stopped piano and tennis mostly, I’ve replaced that with leading different clubs on campus and pursuing opportunities in the student developer and hackathon communities — I just got hired by MLH as a hackathon coach, I run a nonprofit organization, and I lead or help with three different clubs. I’m really passionate about what I choose to pursue and I’m always looking for new things to try out; even though my personality test says I’m an introvert, I consider myself to be a budding extrovert with how I want to try and meet new people and have new experiences.

I’m still growing into my passions and exploring what I want to do in life — some things I really want to do but haven’t had the chance to yet include travelling, writing, founding a startup, and learning how to cook more than just rice and noodles. I’m excited about wrapping up college and being able to pursue my passions, though I still have a ways to go before the end of college. Follow me over the next year and a half as I wrap up college, enter the industry, and explore new things!

Thanks for reading!

• Michael Cao

Day 4/31