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RITESH REDDY

Meet Mr. RITESH REDDY – Computing Department’s Distinguished BSc Graduate 

“Maximize whatever opportunity you are faced with and, void of any obvious reason to work hard, always do your best.” This has been the philosophy of life for 21-year-old Ritesh Reddy, BSc (First Class Honors) graduate in Computer Sciences and Accounting (double major).Meet RITESH REDDY   Reddy emerged the top student in the BSc programme in the Department of Computing for the 2014/2015 academic year, with an A+ average, copping a GPA of 4.11.

Reddy attributes much of his success to extensive reading, exploration and good mentors. His mentors,  Dr. Daniel Coore, senior lecturer, and Aston Hamilton, an MSc  student in the Computing Department, provided guidance and feedback which accelerated his growth tremendously. He sought their opinion on many topics which allowed him to advance quicker. “I am really a product of their knowledge, experience and goodwill,” he said.

 “Students should not only attempt to do things on their own, but also collaborate with their peers and, more importantly, with experts in the field. They should expect to be introduced to concepts in the classroom, but they need to explore outside the classroom to fully understand these concepts, get the bigger picture and build their knowledge. A lot of students don’t know what they are missing when they simply rely on what the lecturer covers in classes and in tutorials.

In computer science, it is important to understand not just the solutions to problems, but rather, the steps taken to arrive at the solution, from analyzing the problem, to designing the solution and finally implementing the solution. This will ensure that, instead of focusing on a specific solution to a specific problem, the student will develop problem-solving skills which can be used to solve other problems later on,” he added.

Love for Computers

A graduate of Campion College, Reddy excelled in Computer Science, Accounting, Physics and Pure Mathematics at the CAPE level, prior to entering The UWI in September 2012 on the Jamaica (Male) Scholarship. His motivation to study Computer Science at The UWI stemmed from a love for computers.

A logical thinker, he delights in hard work and is fascinated by the logic and intricacies of the computer. His pursuit of the BSc Computer Science degree has whetted his appetite to do useful things, solve problems, and build his own programs, software and algorithms. “To me, the most interesting aspect of the computer is its logicalness. Because of that I can understand it easily and follow concepts in computer science,” he said.

He describes his study method as an iterative one. “After learning in class, I revise by reading the material more than once. Then I build something, applying the knowledge gleaned to get a feel of things. Later, I refer back to the material to see if I could have done something better. This helps me put the different things into perspective and understand how everything fits into the bigger picture,” he said.

He particularly enjoyed the course - Analysis of Algorithms. “I found it intriguing. I like algorithms because they are clever. The smartness of the computer is really in the algorithms. For me, algorithms is what makes Computer Science interesting,” he said.

He was also pleased with his final-year project in which his group worked on an app which allows users to get current information about distant locations. “The benefit of having this app is that you can ask questions like ‘How long is the line at SAS (Student Administrative Services)?’ or ‘Is Juici selling fries right now?’ and get answers, so it can help to plan your day,” he said.

 Extra-Cullicular Activities

While a student, Reddy was also employed as an intern at MITS (Mona Information Technology Services) from September 2012 – January 2014. There, he assisted with developing applications for The UWI, extended old applications, such as OURVLE (Our Virtual Learning Environment), and worked on the UWI TV application.

In his spare time, he likes to have discussions on various topics such as math, economics, philosophy, engage in Wing Chun Martial Arts (a form of Kung Fu), and build robots . One of his proudest achievements is his quadcopter which he built along with another Computer Science student and two Electronics Engineering students. “We just wanted something cool to do so we thought a quadcopter would be fun to work on. So we decided to build one, one that’s initially operated by remote control. But this was only the start, our plan is to make it autonomous and use it for real-world applications such as land-surveying or traffic-monitoring,” he said.

He also built robots when he was part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer’s (IEEE) UWI chapter in Jamaica. He entered one of his robots - a line-following, autonomous model that aims at a ring and shoots darts – in the IEEE SouthEastCon in 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Additionally, he was a member of The UWI’s Volunteers Inc. – a society which mentors inner-city kids. He taught Information Technology and Mathematics to primary school students while a part of the society.

Future Plans

Reddy is grateful for what he has and makes the most in any situation without complaints. His culture and his parents have allowed him to think this way. His older brother, Dr. Hitesh Reddy, along with his father, Ramesh Reddy, an engineer, and his mother Dr. Syamala Devi, a doctor of Indian medicine (Ayurveda), have been very supportive of his efforts.

His future plans entail pursuing a doctoral degree in Computer Science. However, in the meantime, he plans to take up a lucrative job offer in Software Engineering in October.

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