Engineering - More than a Major Anthony Leontiev

From an early age, I have been taught to think analytically. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, I am the son of two mathematics majors. My father, a software developer, followed his job to the United States when I was still a toddler, taking me my mother and me along. Concerned that I would grow up with less than my full potential, my parents constantly strove to challenge me intellectually. In middle school, I became extremely interested in math. The simple act of solving problems became fascinating; x and y constantly played hide and seek with me, and I found them every time. By eighth grade, I had completed an extracurricular course in trigonometry, and by tenth, I finished the first level of calculus.

Through my interest in math and logic, I developed a knack for computers and programming. Ever the foolish enthusiast, I leapt immediately into the most advanced procedural language – C. Console applications that translate English into Pig Latin may not have a profound impact on society, but it was through simple programs like these that I grew. Though they were hardly complicated or useful, I prided myself in their creation; they were the work of my fingers, and each executable contained, along with its import and export table, a bit of...