Hi, I’m Jacob Summers, and I'm a Computer Science Master of Engineering Senior with a concentration in Software Engineering at Virginia Tech. I was born and raised in the DC Metro area. My intended graduation date is in December 2023. After I graduate, I plan on working full-time as a software engineer. Regarding my professional background, I have completed two Software Development Engineer internships at Amazon. During these internships, I designed and developed AWS cloud-based REST APIs that played a pivotal role as debugging tools for our team's mission-critical software. In December 2022, I earned my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Virginia Tech, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
My initial exposure to Computer Science came from the various game making clubs that I attended throughout my elementary school years. Once I reached high school, I started enrolling in programming classes that taught the basics of various languages such as HTML, C++, and Java. At the end of high school, I enrolled in AP Computer Science which exposed me to the fundamentals of Java programming such as object-oriented design and data structures. As a result of enjoying that class, I applied to the Virginia Tech College of Engineering and chose Computer Science as my major.
Since enrolling in the Computer Science program at Virginia Tech, I have learned about the various different fields of computer science such as human-computer interaction, machine learning, database management, networking, algorithm analysis, data structures, and software engineering. Throughout my classwork, I have developed an algorithm that cracks passwords hashed by the SHA-512 and SHA-256 algorithms, I have developed a system that indexes geographic information system records, I have developed a program that translates computer instructions into assembly code, and I have developed python algorithms that calculate the minimal spanning trees of graphs given by adjacency matrices.
Within recent years, I have gained exposure to AWS Cloud Software Development and Web Application Development. In addition, Graduate school has given me opportunities to broaden my horizons by offering classes such as Blockchain Technologies and Big Data Engineering. Blockchain Techologies allowed me to gain insight into the Blockchain data structures and the crypto currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum that use them. Big Data Engineering provided exposure to creating efficient SQL queries and using Apache Spark batch and stream processing technologies.
When I’m not programming, I like to watch and analyze television shows and movies, hang out with friends and family, and play video games. You can also find me volunteering at my local church, staying fit in the gym, getting triple bogeys in golf, and walking on outdoor trails.