Gordon Lu

  • Class of 2022
  • Peer Tutor
  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
  • CSC Business Manager (2020-2021)
  • Pronouns: he, him, his

Courses supported: Current: CS-1501; Prior: CMPINF-0401; CS-0007; CS-0447; CS-0449; CS-1501; CS-1555; CS-1656; ECON-0110; ECON-1100; ECON-1160; ECON-1440; MATH-0120

Major: Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics

Academic Level: Senior

Achievements and Accolades: Dean's List 1x UTA for CMPINF 0401, 1x UTA for CS 0007, 1x UTA for CS 1555, 1x UTA for CS 1656, 2x UTA for CS 1501, 6x UTA for CS 449, 3x UTA for ECON 1100, 1x UTA for ECON 1160, 4x UTA for ECON 1440, 1x UTA for ECON 0110, Tutor at MAC, 1x UTA for MATH 0120

Activities and Clubs: Previous Business Manager/Current Member for Computer Science Club, Math Club, Current President for Data Analytics Through Applied Statistics Club, Member of Men's Glee Club, Member of Pitt Club XC

Internship, Research and Experiential Learning

Junior Year: Software Engineering Intern at Capital One/ML Research Assistant (Virtual) at UC Berkeley

Sophomore Year: Quality Engineering Intern at Lumentum/Financial Econometrics Research Assistant at Princeton

Freshman Year: Software Engineering Intern at Goldman Sachs/Economics Research Assistant at NYU

Post graduation plans: Working full-time on Cloud Software Engineering and ML at Capital One. Hopefully in the future to pursue Grad school, and teach as well!

Why did you become a UTA? Ever since I took my first CS course in college, I've always enjoyed programming and the complexity of computer science. With tutoring, not only do I want to impart this passion for programming, but I want to help as many students to the best of my ability, while showing them programming doesn't need to be boring, it can be fun!

What is the best advice you would give to a student who may need additional support? There are never any bad questions. Often times, we learn more from the questions we ask, as a UTA, I'm here to help with any sort of question you may have. However, this does not mean I give out solutions, I am here as a second pair of eyes to guide you to a solution.

What is the best study tip you have for a student taking the course you UTA for? For any course, it is essential to put your best foot forward. This means that you treat it like your life depends on it. Whether you're a CS, ECON, STAT or Math major, each course is a building block that will form your career path. No one in the future will remember if you got an A in a specific course, what you will remember is the knowledge gained from the course.

Why should students come to your UTA office hours? Office hours are designed to help a student solve whatever issue they are currently in, however it is not meant to be scary in any sense. In my office hours, I highly encourage students to be happy and enjoy themselves coding and communicating with each other! As such, I like to make jokes and poke around with students just to ensure that office hours are friendly and that I facilitate a welcoming, fun environment. I firmly believe computer science doesn't need to be some grueling, mundane task, but rather a fun, enjoyable task! As such, my office hours seek to be fun and enjoyable, sometimes, I may bring snacks and such to ensure students have a fun time! 

What is your favorite thing about the subject you UTA for? The best thing about helping students is seeing the joy in a student's face when they get their code working! Knowing that a student understands the solution rather than straight up giving the solution is rewarding to the tutor and the student being tutored, as not only does the student learn and understand how to fix their issue, but the tutor also feels a sense of pride for helping the student!

Anything else you would like to add? UTAs not here to provide you answers. We want to help you get to the answer, but asking for direct code is not acceptable. We are willing to navigate and provide insight on issues, but please do not put us UTAs in uncomfortable situations.