“We love computers,” said Gebremeskel, an MSIS student from
from Ethiopia who earned his undergraduate degree from HPU.
“The club gives me a great opportunity to learn more than
what’s in the textbooks and apply what I have learned to realistic
situations,” he added.
Oluwaseyi “Seyi” Odewale, an MSIS student from Nigeria, expressed
similar interest and sentiments.
“Networking is just the beginning,” said Ilya Bourim, a
CIS major from Russia, who conducts a networking class for
club members and others who are interested. “This class and
other projects we do are our way of expressing our gratitude
to the HPU community,” he said.
“Ilya really clarified the terms (i.e. LINX, UNIX, etc.)
so you know exactly what’s going on,” said Selawe Tau, a new
member and a CIS/TIM major from Botswana.
The main project for the club this year is preparing for
competition in robotics next year. “Team work is essential
to getting the robot to work,” said Jadranko Brkic from Bosnia,
an MSIS major and president of the club. “Everyday we work
on pieces of the robot and every member contributes to it
by their own expertise.”
Brkic believes the club stands a good chance in the regional
competition here in Hawai‘i and dreams of going to the nationals,
to be held in California. “The club has tried to raise funds
for the competition, but we still need everyone’s support.
We missed the deadline last year, and it was a disappointment,”
continued Brkic. “Anyone who is interested in assisting us
to build our financial base is always welcome to join us anytime.”
“I’m learning a lot by watching what the club members are
doing,” said Alex Grkov, a CIS major from Macedonia. “This
year being new to the club, I have a lot of respect for the
club members. They inspire me to learn as much as I can in
my classwork.” The goal this year for the computer club is
making computers more user friendly. “Everyone can operate
a computer and know how to use the programs,” said Al Zimmerman,
faculty advisor to the club.
“What’s great about the club is that we move forward from
the classroom to the worksite to apply and practice what they
learn.”
“The club meets Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in one of
the KK classrooms,” said Zimmerman. “Everyone is welcome.”
For more inforamtion contact Student Life.
