Whale Hello There. I'm Valerie

I am excited to be your TA for CSE 154!

I am in my second year at UW. I don't yet have a major, but I'm hopefully going to be a Human Center Design and Engineering (HCDE) major. To you CSE majors/intended majors, I salute you. You are braver than I. I've been teaching for about 8 years or so now in various capacities . I mostly work with K-8th graders, so I'm really excited to teach y'all. The last time I taught Javascript, I didn't actually know Javascript, but now I've got knowledge on all the coding languages you are going to learn this quarter! So I can help y'all, and not just teach you how to make cookie clicker games that don't actually work. (My, what a dark hour in my life)

In my free time, I like to sing. I am in a nonaudtion a cappella group called Unleashed. I also really like car shows, photography and adventures in the PNW. Right now, my goal is to do the entirety of Rattlesnake Ledge barefoot.

Yes. I based my entire About Me Webpage on a really bad pun about whales. So that tells you a lot about me.

Please feel free to reach out to me anytime you need.

instagram git rick roll

More About Me

I spent the summer working as "Dad" because of my old music tastes and my bad jokes. As a CSE154 student, you are now my child

I have a collection of froot loops boxes at home. At this point, I think I've got 10 boxes on my shelf back in california

CSE 154 is Heckin' Dope! But sometimes it's can be difficut.

I'm not gonna lie, I had my fair share of mental breakdowns because of it, but we are here to help you. Here are some tips and tricks to help get your through it!

General Homework Tips

  1. Start your projects early. I know it's really tempting to not do your HW/CPs over the weekend, but let me tell you, it is no fun to frantically do your hw two nights before its due
  2. Go to the WPL. Even if you think you know what you're doing, being around people who are also working on the same project as you creates a sense of solidarity. Plus the TAs are there to help
  3. Look ahead at your projects so you can find things to work on and improve upon while working on your creative project
  4. Be ready to google and use w3 three schools. Although you are learning, it is important to learn how to find resources to help you with the more intricate quesitons you have!
  5. Stay Calm. Honestly, I've have my fair share of freakouts over this class, but you have to remember that one bad grade isn't going to kill you. You're here to learn and the good grades will come with it!

Exam Tips

  1. The whole exam might feel desperately overwhelming. My best advice to you, is to break it up into sections and write the bare minimum code first, and then add the details later. You can get a lot of partial credit on these exams
  2. Cramming really doesn't do you any good. I know that's not going to stop you, but I highly recommend NOT CRAMMING
  3. Pump yourself up for the test by listening to some hype jams before exam time. You can even share earbuds with someone to feel that solidarity.
  4. Keep Calm and code on (oh god. That made me sound like a middle aged white lady from the mid 2000's but it's true!)

YOU CAN DO THIS!

And For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Send me pet photos please