Getting Help

Having questions or getting stuck on something is entirely expected in the learning process. If you find something challenging with your studies, that is a sign you are learning! Learning is not something that you need to do alone though! In fact, connecting with your peers or asking a member of the course staff for help can add extreme depth to your knowledge.

  • Synchronous Help (Office Hours): One place to go to get help is our Office Hours hosted throughout the week. TAs staff office hours for many hours a day to provide you the help you need when you need it! This is a great place to go if you want to review a particular course concept, work on a practice problem with the help of a TA or your peers, or get help on a Creative Project or Programming Assignment if you are running into difficulties.

    Tip

    A common misconception is that you can only go to support hours for help with a specific assignment. That is not true! If you have any questions about course concepts (e.g., from class that day), you are super encouraged to go work on that concept with a member of the course staff at support hours! Getting help with a concept earlier, when you first are feeling unsure, is much better than saving it until you need it on an assignment.

  • Asynchronous Help (Ed Discussion): With a class of our size, directly emailing a member of the course staff is not usually recommended. There are many of you and only few of us, so if you email one person directly we can’t guarantee how quickly we can respond. To alleviate this, we have a course discussion board that will be a much more lively place for discussion and a way to make sure you can get help more quickly. The message board is set up so that all of the course staff can help you, which will make it more likely for you to receive a quicker response!

    Ed Tips

    • If you are asking a general question about the course logistics or content, you can make a public post. This way other students can benefit from seeing your question, and you can even answer each other’s questions to share your perspectives!
      • If you want, you can choose to post anonymously so that other students in the course can’t see your name. Note that anonymous posting does not hide your identity from the course staff.
    • You’re encouraged to answer each other’s questions as well! Explaining a topic to someone else (even on a discussion board) is a great way to help you better understand the material The course staff will still look over student answers and can nicely point out misconceptions (if there are any) so that everyone benefits.
    • If you have a question that’s pretty specific to your assignment solution or is related to a personal situation that you would not want to share with the class (e.g., DRS accommodations), you can make a private post on Ed that is only visible to the course staff. This way, any member of the staff can respond to get you the help you need!
    • For sensitive matters that you only want to discuss with Brett and Elba, you can instead email Brett/Elba if that makes you feel more comfortable. Note that the response time for the instructors’ email is generally longer than posting on the Ed board.

Instructors

Photo of Brett Wortzman

Office Hours

Mon 3-4pm
Wed 4-5pm
CSE 542

Brett Wortzman he/him

brettwo@cs

Hi, I’m Brett! I grew up outside of Boston, MA and moved to Seattle after college. I earned my B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard University and my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from UW. This is my sixth year teaching in the Allen School. Before I came here, I developed curriculum and trained teachers for Microsoft’s TEALS program, taught CS at Issaquah High School, and worked as a developer at Microsoft. Outside of teaching, I am a high school football official, a frequent volunteer at local FIRST Robotics events, and an avid board game and RPG player.


Photo of Elba Garza

Office Hours

Tue 1:00-2:00 PM
Thu 3:30-4:30 PM
CSE 438

Elba Garza she/her

elba@cs

Hi all, I’m Elba. I’m an entering Assistant Teaching Professor here at the Allen School. I earned my B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University and my M.Sc. in the same at Princeton University. I did my PhD studies at Texas A&M University with Daniel Jimenez, where I specialized in computer architectural prediction techniques. I’m originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, but moved to San Antonio, Texas when I was five years old. My hobbies include metal detecting, coin collecting, and sewing. If you ever need advice on the course, the computer science major, or have anything on your mind, be sure to come by my office hours and we can chat.

Teaching Assistants

Photo of Anderson Lee

Anderson Lee he/him

lee0618@cs

Quiz Section: BQ

Hi you all! My name is Anderson. I am a sophomore studying computer science and an international student from Taiwan. This is my first time TAing this class. Outside of classes, I’m into skateboarding, playing pool, and playing guitar. Look forward to see you all!


Photo of Anju Lam

Anju Lam she/her

anjulam@uw

Quiz Section: AI

Hi, I’m Anju! I’m from Malaysia and I’m a junior majoring in Computer Science. Outside of school, I like to bake, watch anime, and hangout with friends. I also really enjoy cafe hopping so hit me up if you ever want to catch coffee together! This will be my fourth quarter TAing and I’m super excited to get to know all of you :)


Photo of Autumn Rhee

Autumn Rhee she/her

arhee2@uw

Quiz Section: AU

Hi, I’m Autumn! I’m a second-year student majoring in Computer Science, and I’m thrilled to be a TA for CSE 142. Outside of classes and coding, I love sampling new foods, walking my dog, and watching the sun set. My favorite season? Probably Winter. Excited to meet all of you soon!


Photo of Ben Zhou

Ben Zhou he/him

benzhou@uw

Quiz Section: BS

Hello! My name is Benjamin but you can just call me Ben :D. For the past 9 years I’ve lived in Bellevue Washington and before that I lived in Ottawa, Canada where I was born. My family is originally from Shanghai but then moved to North America many years ago. In my free time you’ll find me playing volleyball at the IMA or practicing/composing piano music. Feel free to shoot me an email you have questions about anything and I’m forward to a great quarter together.


Photo of Chaos Gao

Chaos Gao he/him

gyq2018@uw

Quiz Section: AO

Hey all! My name is Chaos and I’m a senior in CS and Math major. It’s my first time TAing 142 and I am very excited. Looking forward to share my experience with you all. Outside class, I love running, bridge, and basketball. Also, I am a Math-person. Feel free to discuss anything you want with me! Let’s enjoy our awesome autumn quarter!


Photo of Christina Hahn

Christina Hahn

chahn317@uw

Quiz Section: BE

Hello! My name is Christina and I’m a sophomore in CS. I like to watch anime and Korean variety shows in my spare time. It’s my first quarter TAing and I’m very excited to meet everyone! I hope CSE 121 can be a memorable experience for all of us.


Photo of Duncan Du

Duncan Du he/him

wenyudu@uw

Quiz Section: BD

Hi everyone! My name is Duncan. I am a Senior majoring in Computer Science. I grew up in China with a couple of years in Maryland. I have taught CSE 143 as a TA for the past year and am super excited to start this journey with you all.

Other than teaching and CS, I love photography and filmmaking. I am a tech enthusiast and a huge fan of DIY PCs. I also got into Formula 1 racing over the summer.

Feel free to talk to me about any of my interests and all things CS!


Photo of Ernie Liu

Ernie Liu he/him

eliu03@uw

Quiz Section: AQ

Hi everyone, my name is Ernie. I am from Taipei, Taiwan, and I am a senior studying ACMS(data science & statistics). In my free time, I play golf and basketball. This will be my first time TA-ing and I am really excited to meet you all!


Photo of Ethan Kam

Ethan Kam

ethankam@uw

Quiz Section: AE

Hi all! My name’s Ethan, and I’m currently a rising sophomore studying Computer Science. I’m a big sports fan, and enjoy working out and staying active. Also working on my very basic cooking skills this year. Looking forward to TA‘ing this year, feel free to reach out!


Photo of Grace Shin

Grace Shin she/her

gshin02@uw

Quiz Section: AH

Hi everyone, my name’s Grace, and I’m a third year studying business! I was born and raised in Korea until I was 9, and I then moved to Vancouver, Canada, where I went to elementary and middle school. I moved to Bellevue, WA, at the start of high school and have been living here since! Outside of school, I like to watch movies and look at pictures/videos of cute animals. This will be my first time TAing, but I’m really excited to TA for 121 this quarter! Looking forward to meeting everyone :)


Photo of Jaylyn Zhang

Jaylyn Zhang she/her

jiali7@cs

Quiz Section: BG

Hi everyone! My name is Jaylyn and I am a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. In my free time, I love hiking, drinking taro with milk:D, and exploring Seattle with my friends. Super excited to meet you all!!


Photo of Jen Xu

Jen Xu she/her

jennifrx@uw

Quiz Section: AD

Hi there! I’m Jen, a sophomore studying CS. I’m from Mukilteo, a city north of Seattle. Outside of class, I like napping, watching The Office, and annoying my cat. Fun fact: I’m prone to spraining my ankle :)


Photo of Jessica Burroughs

Jessica Burroughs she/her

jessib20@uw

Quiz Section: BC

I’m a third-year CS student from a small-ish town called Yelm, which is down south of Seattle in Washington State. This is my 4th quarter as a TA, so I’m extremely excited to be TAing this course. In my free time, I enjoy taking photos of clouds, walking in nice parks, reading webtoons, and playing mobile gacha games.


Photo of Jolie Zhou

Jolie Zhou she/her

joliez@uw

Quiz Section: AK

Hi, I’m Jolie! I’m a sophomore studying Computer Science and this is my fourth quarter TAing the intro series. I enjoy transcribing music (unsuccessfully), crocheting amigurumi, and baking bread. Looking forward to meeting everyone ( ゚▽゚)/


Photo of Jonus Li

Jonus Li he/him

jonus225@cs

Quiz Section: AM

Hi, I’m Jonus! I’m an incoming junior majoring in CS. I love to spend my time exploring all kinds of music, walking around in nice parks, and doing sports like basketball and badminton. This is my first year being a TA and I’m super excited to work with you and have a wonderful quarter together. Looking forward to getting to know y’all in the sections! :)


Photo of Josh Ning

Josh Ning he/him

long2000@uw

Quiz Section: AA

Hey all, it’s your TA Josh. A little about me. I am a fourth year student here at the Allen School and it’s my fourth quarter TAing. Outside of teaching, I enjoy playing tennis on the side and will be busy practicing my skiing skills this winter. Let me know what you guys do outside of school!


Photo of Justin Ung

Justin Ung he/him

ungjus19@uw

Quiz Section: AJ

Hi everyone, my name is Justin and I grew up in Renton. In my free time, I enjoy playing TFT, reading manhwa and lap swimming ( IMA pool closed tho >:( ). This will be by 4th quarter TAing but CSE 121 is new to everyone so feel free to reach out if you have any questions and I look forward to meeting you all :D


Photo of Kailey Tou

Kailey Tou she/her

ktou@cs

Quiz Section: AF

Hello! I’m Kailey, a senior studying Computer Science. I grew up in the Seattle area and have been here my whole life. In my free time, I like reading, baking yummy desserts, and going out for walks while listening to podcasts or music. If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to stop by my office hours! Looking forward to a great quarter with you all :)


Photo of Kelvin Ng

Kelvin Ng he/him

kelvin37@cs

Hey, I’m Kelvin! I’m from the Tampa Bay area (lesgo Bucs) and I’m studying CS. I like to play chess, board games, ultimate frisbee, and rock climbing.


Photo of Larry Jing

Larry Jing

jingla@cs

Quiz Section: BF

Hi everyone, I’m Larry! I’m a junior studying CS and I’m really excited to work with you guys this quarter! Outside of class, I like photography, cooking, and making cool stuff–feel free to ask me about random projects I’ve worked on in the past! Looking forward to meeting you all in person :D


Photo of Lawrence Tan

Lawrence Tan he/him

lawtan@uw

Quiz Section: AV/BV

Hi everyone, I’m Lawrence! I’m a sophomore from Vancouver, Canada studying Computer Science. Outside of class, you might find me cooking up some good food, going on a hike, or working on robots at ARUW, the best robotics club on campus (100% unbiased opinion, definitely talk to me about joining!) I love helping people learn and understand new concepts, so please reach out if you have any questions!


Photo of Logan Dinh

Logan Dinh he/him

ldinh2@uw

Quiz Section: AR

Hi guys! My name is Logan and I am a second-year student studying Computer Science. I loved my first intro to programming class, so I hope you will too! Outside of class, I love to play video games, workout, and going to RAVES! Illenium, Alan Walker, and Said The Sky are just some of my favorite artist I listen to. Feel free to talk to me about anything rave related! Lastly, I hope you enjoy this class and have fun in the process!


Photo of Lydia Li

Lydia Li she/her

lilyd66@uw

Quiz Section: BR

Hi, I’m Lydia! I’m a second-year studying Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy watching cat videos, listening/dancing to Kpop, and exploring good restaurants with friends. Super excited to meet you all this quarter!


Photo of Lydia Xue

Lydia Xue she/her

wenqix3@uw

Quiz Section: BK

Hi, My name is Lydia! I’m from China, and I’m a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. This is my first time being a TA, but I’m super excited to TA this course and meet you all! Outside of the school, I love photography, cooking, and listening to music. I am also a cat lover and I have two cats at home in China named Baobao and HanHan :D .


Photo of Matthew Santos

Matthew Santos he/him

matts117@uw

Quiz Section: BH

Hey! My name is Matthew and I’m a sophomore studying CS. In my free time, I enjoy eating and trying new foods, playing basketball, boxing, and I love a good hike with a view. I’m excited to meet everyone!


Photo of Maxime Dahan

Maxime Dahan

mdahan@uw

Quiz Section: BN

Hellooooo! I’m a sophomore doing my first quarter as a TA. I really enjoy working on my car, playing games, and playing and teaching guitar. I’m excited to get to know you guys!


Photo of Melody Lam

Melody Lam she/her

mlam3@cs

Quiz Section: BP

hi everyone!! i’m melody and this is my 7th (and sadly, final) quarter of TA-ing intro CS. some of the highlights of the summer have been living in the Bay Area, visiting some new places (pitt, nyc, and mexico), eating lots of good food, and seeing Seventeen live in Oakland! my biggest hope for you this quarter is that you’ll walk away with an appreciation for programming and CS, even if you have no prior experience, so let me know if there’s anything I can do to help :))


Photo of Nathan Nguyen

Nathan Nguyen he/him

nathnguy@uw

Quiz Section: BJ

Hi! I’m Nathan, a senior studying computer science. I’m from Los Gatos, California, and I love making games and watching all things animated: Studio Ghibli, Avatar the Last Airbender, Arcane, etc. In my free time I also like to play tennis and watch basketball. I can’t wait to meet everyone, please don’t hesitate to reach out!


Photo of Nicolas Matthew Suhardi

Nicolas Matthew Suhardi he/him

nicmatt@uw

Quiz Section: AC

Hey y’all, my name is Nic and this is my 7th quarter TAing for intro CS! I’m a chronic night owl, giant monitor screen enthusiast, and indomie (arguably the best instant noodle in the world) lover. I’ve lately been interested in learning more about General Aviation and my favorite planes are Cirrus Vision Jet and Beechcraft Denali. Oh, and I also have a mini carnivorous plant garden >.< Please don’t hesitate to email me for help or if you want to talk about other things!


Photo of Olivia Wang

Olivia Wang she/her

wang4@cs

Quiz Section: AB

Hello! I am a third-year Computer Science and Music Theory student. This is my first time being a TA and I am super excited for the quarter! Outside of my studies, I participate in robotics and rocketry, transcribe music, and play in small music ensembles. I’m also interested in karate, swimming, and tennis. Feel free to reach out anytime, whether it’s about the course or just to chat!


Photo of Phil Bedford

Phil Bedford

philbed@uw

Quiz Section: AS

Hey I’m Phil, I’m a junior studying Finance and hoping to study Computer Science. I was born in Seattle but I grew up rotating between Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Switzerland. I’ve always loved technology, and I bought my first car selling cheats for a video game. I also love playing poker and bouldering, and I’m always looking for more people to do them with! Feel free to hit me up, I’m excited to meet you all.


Photo of Ray He

Ray He they/them

hedr@uw

Quiz Section: BO

I’m really excited to be a part of the roll out of CSE121! You’ll find that, while there will probably be small mishaps here and there just like with any other first offering of a course, the course as a whole will do a great job of showing you the ropes and provide ample opportunity for you to explore how you can use programming skills in whatever area interests you! It is a great privilege for myself to be a part of such a substantial rewrite of how computer science is taught at the UW and I hope yall will enjoy the course as much as we TAs enjoy building it! Outside of my TAing duties, I like to bike with friends and waste time reorganizing all the junk I’ve accumulated over the years.


Photo of Rishi Bathina

Rishi Bathina he/him

rbat@uw

Quiz Section: BA

Hi, I am Rishi! I was born in Atlanta, GA and moved her almost 8 years ago! This is my first quarter as. a TA, so cut me some slack :) I am a Sophomore here at UW but it is my first quarter as a part of the Allen School. Outside of school I love playing baseball and soccer as well as being hard-stuck gold in Valorant. I am excited to introduce Computer Science, and I hope you will love it as much as I do!


Photo of Rucha Kher

Rucha Kher she/her

rookher@uw

Quiz Section: BM

Hi, my name is Rucha and I’m from Bellevue, WA! Currently I’m a sophomore studying computer science and this is my first quarter as a TA. Outside of school I love to bake, watch movies, and go on hikes with friends and family. I’m excited to get to know you all this quarter!


Photo of Shananda Dokka

Shananda Dokka she/her

sdokka@cs

Hey! My name is Shananda, pronounced sha-nin-da! I am a junior majoring in Computer Science and Economics. This is my sixth quarter as a CSE TA. I was born in Singapore and lived there for seven years. In Singapore and after moving to Seattle, I’ve grown up around birds, and right now I have the cutest parakeet in the world. Some of my favorite pastimes are rowing, dance, and watching movies! Excited to work with y’all this quarter!


Photo of Shreya Nambi

Shreya Nambi she/her

snambi@uw

Quiz Section: BL

Hi! I’m Shreya and I’m a sophomore studying CS. I love gaming (apex, minecraft, etc.), sunsets, taylor swift, kpop, and marvel. Looking forward to meeting everyone!


Photo of Shreya Ramakrishnan

Shreya Ramakrishnan she/her

sr66@uw

Quiz Section: AL

Hi I’m Shreya! This is my first quarter being a TA and I’m super excited to be teaching y’all! I’m a junior studying CS and I grew up in Cupertino, CA. Outside of being a TA, I’m on UW Raas and a part of the Society of Women Engineers. Outside of the classroom, I love working out, trying restaurants, and meeting new people. Feel free to reach out to me about anything CSE related or not. Looking forward to meeting everyone :)


Photo of Suhani Arora

Suhani Arora she/her

suarora@uw

Quiz Section: AG

Hi there! I’m Suhani and I’m a second year majoring in Computer Science. I’m from Redmond, WA and in my free time, I love watching TV and movies (especially Bollywood), spending time with friends and listening to music. I’m looking forward to this quarter and I’m really excited to work with everyone!


Photo of Thien-An Nguyen

Thien-An Nguyen

thienan4@uw

Quiz Section: AP

Hi! My name is Thien-An and I grew up in Burien, Washington. I am currently a junior. Outside of school, I like to go to the gym, play the piano and electric guitar, and read books. Super excited to meet you all :)


Photo of William Galvin

William Galvin he/him

wgalvin@uw

Quiz Section: AN

Hey, everyone, I’m William! I’m a sophomore studying computer science and this is my third quarter as a TA. I’m super excited to meet everyone and looking forward to a great quarter!


Photo of Yijia Zhao

Yijia Zhao she/her

yz0814@uw

Quiz Section: AT/BT

Hello! My name is Yijia Zhao. I’m a second-year majoring in computer science. I was born and raised in Wenzhou, China until 2018. Then I move to Seattle. I love singing and watching anime in my free time. This is my first time TA-ing CSE121 and I’m looking forward to working and having fun with you all!