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 office hours with specific homework questions. 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 office hours! Getting help with a concept earlier, when you first are feeling unsure, is much better than saving it until you need it on the homework.

  • Asynchronous Help (Ed Discussion): With a class of our size, directly emailing a member of the course staff is not always recommended. There are many of you and only few of us, so if you email one person directly we can’t make a guarantee how quickly we can respond! To alleviate this one-on-one communication of email, we have a course discussion board that will be a much more lively place for discussion and a way to make sure you can are helped 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 some misconception if there is one so that everyone benefits.
    • If you have a question that’s pretty specific to your homework solution, or, is about some personal details 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 Elba, you can instead email Elba if that makes you feel more comfortable. Note that the response time for the instructors’ email is longer than posting on the Ed board.

Instructors

Photo of Elba Garza

Office Hours

Wednesdays 3:30-4:30 PM
Thursdays 4:00-5:00 PM
CSE 438

Elba Garza she/her/hers

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. I’m also a huge Formula 1 fan! 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 Afifah Kashif

Afifah Kashif she/her/hers

afifahk@cs

Quiz Section: BH

Hi!! I’m Afifah, I’m a pre-law freshman studying CS. Outside of class, I enjoy spending time with friends, exploring rocketry and going hiking. This is my first quarter as a TA and I’m very excited to meet you all :) I know CS seems daunting at first and am no stranger to imposter syndrome, so I’m here if you ever want to chat!


Photo of Anju Lam

Anju Lam she/her/hers

anjulam@uw

Quiz Section: AL

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 Archit Patankar

Archit Patankar he/him/his

architp@uw

Quiz Section: BQ

Hi everyone, I’m Archit! I’m from Redmond, WA and I’m a second-year student majoring in CS and minoring in entrepreneurship. Aside from school, I love watching, playing and talking sports, whether it be football, basketball, soccer, cricket, or F1. I also love traveling and watching new TV/movies. I’m very excited to be TAing this quarter and hope to be able to meet all of you sometime :)


Photo of Christina Hahn

Christina Hahn

chahn317@uw

Quiz Section: AB

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


Photo of Duncan Du

Duncan Du he/him/his

wenyudu@uw

Quiz Section: AD

Hi everyone! My name is Duncan. I am a graduating senior majoring in Computer Science. I grew up in China with a couple of years in Maryland. Before CSE 121, I taught CSE 143 at UW and I am super excited to learn programming with y’all. Other than teaching and CS, I love photography and filmmaking. I am a tech enthusiast and a fan of Formula 1 racing and gaming (currently playing Genshin Impact).

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


Photo of Grace Shin

Grace Shin she/her

gshin02@uw

Quiz Section: BA

Hi everyone, I’m Grace, and I’m a third year studying business. I’ve been living in Bellevue for the past several years, but I mostly grew up in Canada and Korea. Outside of class, I like to watch movies, snowboard, and walk around museums/parks. This will be my second quarter TAing, and I’m really excited to meet everyone :)


Photo of Hugh March

Hugh March he/him/his

hmarch@uw

Quiz Section: BM

Hey everyone, I’m Hugh! I am a second year studying computer science from Olympia, WA. This is my first quarter as a TA, and I’m excited to meet everyone! When I have free time, I love weightlifting, playing the piano, and right now listening to SZA’s new album. I’m always available to talk about CSE121 or anything else, so feel free to reach out!


Photo of Jaden Wang

Jaden Wang he/him/his, they/them/theirs

wang4@cs

Quiz Section: BC

Hello! I am a third-year Computer Science and Music Theory student. This is my second quarter being a TA and I am super excited! 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, tennis, and video games. Feel free to reach out anytime, whether it’s about the course or just to chat!


Photo of James Try

James Try he/him/his

jamestry@cs

Quiz Section: BF

Hello! My name is James and I grew up in Federal Way, WA. Currently, I’m a junior majoring in Computer Science and this is my first quarter TAing. Outside of school related things, I enjoy playing games, reading manga, and am currently getting back into bboying. Excited to meet everyone this quarter!


Photo of Jaylyn Zhang

Jaylyn Zhang she/her/hers

jiali7@cs

Quiz Section: BJ

Hi, I’m Jaylyn! 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. I am also really into oil pastels recently. Super excited to meet you all!


Photo of Jen Xu

Jen Xu she/her

jennifrx@uw

Quiz Section: AC

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. I look forward to meeting everyone :D


Photo of Jonus Li

Jonus Li he/him/his

jonus225@cs

Quiz Section: BO

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 second time 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 Justin Ung

Justin Ung he/him/his

ungjus19@uw

Quiz Section: AE

Hi everyone, my name is Justin and I grew up in Renton. In my free time, I enjoy playing TFT, reading manga/manhwa and lap swimming ( IMA pool closed tho >:( ). This will be by 5th quarter TAing and I look forward to meeting you all :D


Photo of Kailey Tou

Kailey Tou she/her/hers

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 IPL hours! Looking forward to a great quarter with you all :)


Photo of Krishna Panchap

Krishna Panchap he/him/his

kpanchap@uw

Quiz Section: BK

Hey everyone, Krishna here! I’m a second-year studying CS from Redmond, WA (still haven’t gotten used to the rain) and this is my first quarter TA-ing. Outside of school, I love to play badminton, go on runs with my dog, and, as of recently, watch football. Feel free to reach out about anything and everything and I’m really excited to meet y’all!


Photo of Lydia Li

Lydia Li she/her

lilyd66@uw

Quiz Section: BB

Hi, I’m Lydia! I’m a sophomore in CS and this is my second quarter TAing. 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 Matthew Santos

Matthew Santos he/him/his

matts117@uw

Quiz Section: AH

Hey all! My name is Matt and I’m a sophomore studying Computer Science! In my free time, I enjoy MMA, eating food, and listening to music. If you have any questions or just want to chat, swing by my IPL hours or send me an email. I’m excited to work with you all!


Photo of Maxime Dahan

Maxime Dahan

mdahan@uw

Quiz Section: BL

Hello everyone! I’m a second year studying Computer Science and this is my second quarter as an intro TA for CSE 121. Outside of school I work on my car, play guitar, play games, or sometimes draw. I’m very excited to meet everyone and learn some CS!


Photo of Mia Onodera

Mia Onodera she/her/hers

onoderam@cs

Quiz Section: BE

Hi everyone, I’m Mia! I’m currently a sophomore studying Electrical and Computer Engineering with an Entrepreneurship minor. Outside of classes, I enjoy playing Genshin, watching Japanese TV shows, weightlifting, and baking. I am the safety lead of the Human Powered Submarine RSO so let me know if you are interested as well!!

I am excited to meet everyone in person! If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to email me anytime.


Photo of Nathan Nguyen

Nathan Nguyen he/him/his

nathnguy@uw

Quiz Section: AK

Hello! I’m a senior studying computer science and this is my last quarter at UW. I wanted to study CS because of my dream to create video games! Please feel free to reach out if you want to talk about anything :)


Photo of Rishi Bathina

Rishi Bathina he/him/his

rbat@uw

Quiz Section: AN/BN

Hi, I am Rishi! I was born in Atlanta, GA and moved her almost 8 years ago! This is my second quarter as a TA. I am a Sophomore here at UW and my second quarter as a part of the Allen School. Outside of school I love boxing and playing baseball. 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: BD

Hi, my name is Rucha and I’m from Bellevue, WA! Currently I’m a sophomore studying computer science and this is my second quarter as a TA. Outside of school I love to bake, binge watch movies, and go on hikes with friends & family. Looking forward to meeting 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 seventh 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/hers

snambi@uw

Quiz Section: BG

Hi! I’m Shreya and I’m a sophomore studying CS. This is my second time TAing 121, and i’m super excited for this quarter! Outside of school, I love gaming, sunsets, taylor swift, kpop, and marvel. Looking forward to meeting everyone :)


Photo of Shreya Ramakrishnan

Shreya Ramakrishnan she/her/hers

sr66@uw

Quiz Section: AM

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/hers

suarora@uw

Quiz Section: BP

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 Vidhi Jain

Vidhi Jain she/her/hers

vjain2@uw

Quiz Section: AA

Hello, my name is Vidhi Jain! I was born in India and moved to Seattle in 2012. I love the rainy/cold weather of Seattle. Currently, I am a junior pursuing a B.A. in Computer Science with a minor in Entrepreneurship. I have TAed for CSE 142 (the old course) multiple times, but it’s going to be my first time teaching CSE 121! Outside of college, I enjoy watching new TV shows, spending time with my family/friends, and exploring new food places.


Photo of Yijia Zhao

Yijia Zhao she/her/hers

yz0814@uw

Quiz Section: AG

Hey everyone! My name is Yijia Zhao. I’m a second-year majoring in computer science. I’m from Wenzhou, a small city on southeast of China and I lived in Seattle for five years. I love baking and watching anime in my free time. I’m looking forward to working and having fun with you all! (^▽^) WAKUWAKU