Patrick O'Brien

Where do you attend school, and what what are you studying?

I am a junior majoring in Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. I'm a member of GIFT Food Robot Engineering team, the Smart Locker Design Project, and I was on my high school's Honor Roll.

What have your teaching opportunities been outside of Fairfax Collegiate?

I was a tennis coach at Vienna Woods for five years, helping students aged 5-14. I also volunteered as a math teacher's assistant, helping students with topics from Algebra 1 to precalculus. Additionally, I've tutored in math and computer science via Honor Societies.

What sort of experience have you had in the subject you’ll be teaching this summer?

I have taken several camps about Raspberry Pi a while back and played Minecraft since childhood, including experience with game files and coding language. My experience using Python comes from camps and from an AI related GMU internship. Specifically, my AI background is from an image processing model internship at GMU, where I used Python and C++, trained an AI model, and learned how its image processing functions. Finally, I've used Arduino Uno, Arduino IDE, and a microcontroller to build a Smart Locker for design project course, as well as using Arduino in Intro to ECE.

What excites you about teaching and working with students?

I am passionate about explaining things to people, especially when it is topics I also enjoy! All of the classes I am teaching are areas that I am already passionate in, so the ability to teach and explain these things to other people is both incredibly fun for me and rewarding to be able to share with others.

Outside of work, what are some hobbies you enjoy?

I like to play tennis, video games, visit bookstores and create things with CAD.