By Tanyaradzwa Kavumbura is a computer buff-of-a-geek from Seke 1 High School who like any other African dreams to set foot in the USA especially the Silicon Valley to learn more about Computer Science.
The patriotic Form 5 pupil intends to use the knowledge acquired in the United States back home. Being a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM 263) beneficiary, to Tanya, lessens the burden on his parents paying his tuition while he focuses on four A Level subjects namely Maths ,Physics,Chemistry and Computer Science.
Below is an excerpt of the interview between Kudakwashe Pembere and Tanyaradzwa Kavumbura.
Arduino Home Device
KP: Tell us, who is Tanyaradzwa Kavumbura.
TK: Tanya is a Form 5 pupil at Seke 1 High School. Im an 18 year old passionate Computer student who just create programs and other stuff on the computer just for the fun of it.
KP: Tell me about your school, how many subjects are you doing?
TK: Im studying four subjects. These are Maths ,Physics,Chemistry and Computer Science.
KP: Interesting. Don’t you think they are quite a handful? How do you manage them along with your projects?
TK: Interesting it is my brother. I have a planner which I follow to assist me in balancing school and my computer hobby. I try to finish all my studies meaning Maths ,Physics and Chemistry before 8:00pm .In Computer Science l am a natural ,l just browse .At 10pm all my school work will be finished and from 10pm till 2am it’s time for my Computer projects and learning other programming languages.
KP: About the programming languages, how many are you learning?
TK: TK: About 3 programming languages. These are Python, C++ along with vb.net. Im also trying my hand on three scripting languages which include HTML, Javascript and php. Im also doing a hardware programming language called C++ for Arduino.
KP: Tell me about the projects you have done.
TK: My team and I have the following projects. First there is an Interactive E learning platform. This project is aimed at providing a system which has a platform with books and videos which will be accessed at a school for free without any internet acces .
.The system also has a social platform which allows students at the school to communicate without internet access. The second project is called Cyber Movies. It is a platform with the latest movies or dramas also including music videos .It will work in conjunction with a network provider eg Netone or Econet and people will do some subscription.
Then there is this other one called Automated Siren. It is a siren specifically made for schools which works in conjunction with an Arduino uno
KP: What inspired these projects?
TK: I was inspired to do these projects by our current technological situation. As a country, Zimbabwe is technologically backward so l envision a Zimbabwe with a lot of improvement in the technological field. So, my inspiration is to make Zimbabwe a technologically advanced country.
KP: As a Form 5, I’m sure you’ve heard of STEM263, what do you think of the program?
TK: I am blessed enough to be a beneficiary of the STEM initiative. It’s a nice program as it has allowed me to focus on my studies. It feels so good as it allows you to concentrate/focus on school work and also it gives my parents a relief as they would only have to pay for my extra lessons and other necessities.
KP: What are your plans after A level?
TK: After A level ,l am going to try and find a scholarship to learn in a country which is technologically advanced like U.S.A doing Software Engineering /Electrical Engineering but will major in things to do with tech .During my learning period l would try to bring back the United States technology into Zimbabwe advance the technology and make our country one of the most technologically advanced country in the world .
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