Sharing Student Capstone Projects at the Temple CST Open House

On January 26, 2025, I was part of the Temple CST Open House, where I had the chance to show prospective students and families what Computer Science can look like through past student capstone projects.

One of my favorite parts of teaching Computer Science is helping students see that the field is not just abstract theory or isolated programming assignments. It is a way to build things, solve problems, collaborate with other people, and turn ideas into working systems.

That is why bringing capstone projects to an open house matters to me. These projects give high school students a more concrete picture of what they could grow into during a CS degree: not just someone who writes code, but someone who can design, explain, test, revise, and present meaningful work.

I also love getting to talk with students who are still deciding whether Computer Science is for them. Sometimes encouragement is not a grand speech. Sometimes it is showing a real project, answering a nervous question honestly, and helping someone imagine themselves belonging in the room.

Events like the Temple CST Open House are a reminder that student work can inspire the next group of students before they have even started.