Courses Taken
Sewanee GPA: 3.76 WashU GPA: 4.0
Computer Science GPA:
Sewanee (2018-2022): 3.76
WashU (2022-2025): 4.0
Bio
Biography
Hello! My name is Jackson McCall, but I usually go by Jack. I'm currently in the last year of my M.S. program for computer science at WashU. I've also earned a B.S. from my first university: Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, TN, and in the spring of 2024 I earned another B.S. from WashU. The reason that I have two Bachelors is because I am enrolled in a program called the dual-degree program, which is a way for students who come from liberal arts universities without engineering programs to still earn their engineering degree. Typically, students would get a B.S. in computer science and then another B.S. in Computer Engineering, but I had no interest in the physical aspects of programming, so I opted to get another Computer Science Degree instead.
While at Sewanee, I earned a 3.76 GPA in my Computer Science courses, and in my time at WashU I'm proud of my 4.0 GPA for Computer Science. While at Sewanee I learned the basics of my major, and my time at WashU has allowed me to gain a much deeper understanding about various sections of the field. I absolutely love coding, and I plan on developing software for as long as I'm able to.
Hobbies
When I am not coding or working on projects, I enjoy a variety of hobbies that keep me both mentally and physically active. My most prevalent hobby would be gaming. I've played video games for just about my entire life, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I've explored a wide variety of genres, including MMOs (WoW, ESO), MOBAs(League of Legends), and shooters(Valorant, CS:GO). While at Sewanee, I co-founded and captained the collegiate league of legends team there. It was an absolute blast, and I enjoyed everything about it. After arriving at WashU, I joined and captained their collegiate Valorant team as well. This is my current main game, and at the time of writing this my peak is Ascendant 3. I'm really hoping that I can hit immortal 2 at some point in the future, that has been my all-time goal. It's difficult to practice while I'm studying, but I'm steadily improving. If you have any experience in gaming, or want to ask about any of my interests please don't hesistate to ask!
I also enjoy working out. I played sports my entire childhood, and played rubgby for a stint back at Sewanee before I injured myself and then swapped to E-Sports instead. I regularly work out at the gym, and on the days I'm not lifting weights I enjoy swimming. I was heavily into powerlifting for the last two years, but recently I've swapped programs and I'm focusing more on hypertrophy(size) rather than strength. I will say that I don't enjoy it as much, but after this run through of my program I will likely swap back to a more strength-oriented workout program.
While at WashU, I finally had the opportunity to do something that I've wanted to do for nearly a decade now: Learn Japanese. While earning my computer science degree, I've also been taking Japanese classes for fun. I'm already paying for tuititon, and I'm going to make the most of it! I absolutely love the language, and I am excited for my upcoming trip to Japan this summer. I am currently at the N4 level, but I hope to be at N3 by the end of this year! The language is difficult, especially because my English grammar is not the greatest, but the challenge makes it all the more rewarding. いつも練習したいですから、日本語を話せたら、一緒に日本語で話しましょう！