S-STEM Scholar Wyatt Bylbie's Blog

  This week we were asked about Cultural Intelligence. Dr. Renee Bhatti-Klug joined our class to give a wonderful lecture on the topic. We are to discuss any strategies that we learned and how we can incorporate these into our identity. As well as any resources for future TRAIN students to help their understanding of cultural responsiveness.  Unfortunately, I think this is a tough subject for me. As a white male, I do not think I have ever felt uncomfortable in a way of my culture. I have experienced it with others. Coming from myself, I cannot give advice. For my example, when I worked full-time at a call center. I had a new hire who had strong religious beliefs. After he learned about the breaks/schedule of a typical workday. He requested I allow him to pray as he needed, which I gladly allowed. Before doing that, I offered to have a sit-down conversation with Human Resources to be sure he would never have a problem with his culture at our workplace. I think if anything, my ...

       During the TRAIN mixer, I spoke with future student Alec. He is a mechanical engineering major. He expressed how he was going to attend the Ira School of Engineering in Tempe. While talking to him, we were discussing classes. Sharing common classes we have taken, as well as class sizes at the Unviserty level. I informed him of the small class sizes here at ASU West. He was pretty happy to hear that. However, I explained that the engineering school might not be the same. I told him that he should expect more students in the classes. We also discussed transportation. I explained about the bus that goes from ASU West to main. As well as how much more cheap the parking is here. Alec really did not have much concern about the transition. He is well prepared.      For any future students, I was nervous myself. The best advice I can possibly give is to just reach out to an advisor. They can easily answer any questions you might have. I did get lost at ...

I'm a Senior at Arizona State University! Majoring in Applied Computing with a focus on Cyber Security. In my off time, I coach high school wrestling. Currently, my classes are; Network Forensics Analysis Wireless Networks, and Security Hacking for Defense Stem Success Global Justice I am very excited to continue my journey and learn about these topics. I feel good about my classes and expect a great semester. As my previous semesters have gone good since transferring to Arizona State. This semester, I aim to earn an 'A' in all my classes.

      Our topic this semester was focused on relational databases. Compared to previous topics, this was the most time-consuming and complex. One of the biggest takeaways from using a database rather than a spreadsheet is to remove redundancy. We can also break down data into smaller parts. These databases contain a collection of related data and a single copy of the data. We can create relations within our database. Connecting the number of tables together. This just makes viewing the data much more manageable compared to spreadsheets.     Over the course of the Semester, we were given the challenge to create and design a database. Within my group, we selected the Drugs dataset on corgis. This contains rows of data. Much more data than what I am used to seeing. Our job was to break down the data into different tables. While using SQL to help us query and export the CSV files into DB Browser. In the end, we are given a database with the number of table...

 As the semester comes to an end. We were told to reflect on the material we have learned this past semester. Such as out caring for our mental health. For me, this tends to be difficult. However, I can work on talking about what I'm feeling. We were then asked to discuss if our career goals have evolved. Currently, mine has not. I want to at least program something, whether this is being a developer or an engineer. But I also will never say no to an opportunity in a cybersecurity-related job field, that is the dream. I feel for other when reflecting on mental/physical health they can make a big difference in their lives. I tend to listen and maybe take the advice. Not saying I wont take advice. But it becomes hard to make certain changes. As for fellow STEM students or even future STEM students, I recommend talking to someone about career and school goals. As well as someone that can talk through some assignments and projects. I think those positive conversations can lead to a hea...

  How can you apply Brene Brown’s ideas toward your persistence in STEM, and inspire others to persist?  The above question has made me reflect on this past semester. We have spent much time discussing Brene Brown’s book and ted talk towards our majors. Plus our own life decisions lead us to the position where we are at today. For myself, this was difficult. There is not much thought into my actions. In reality, I think to myself “Is this a smart/good decision for my well-being?”. Often I find myself in difficult situations due to those actions, then they tend to make me feel less about myself. Dr. Brown embraces the idea of “shame” or vulnerability. This relates back to the idea of an open vs. closed mindset. I think it is easy for someone to say that they have an open mindset while in college. Since it almost seems to be the correct answer. In reality, I think most people are a closed mindset, like myself. We had this exact topic in a class period. Within my group discussion...