Written By: H. Preetham Pukkalla UNT Graduate Computer Science

Ahoy! I am Harsha Preetham Pukkalla, a graduate student majoring in Computer Science at UNT and currently working as a Technology Engagement Specialist at the Spark Makerspace. I have always been that kid that goes around and messes up anything and everything within their eyesight. Well, that is one way to look at it, but I was and am always curious about how things function/work. To know so, I can proudly say that I dismantled every electronic toy I ever had to the last part, built a dam using thermocol sheets and buildings using cardboard, enrolled in electrical classes to mess around with circuits, and a lot more (I don’t want to occupy much space over here). Yes, all of that until I was 15 when my interest turned towards computers. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know how computers work (You guessed it right, I even dismantled an entire CPU, not the monitor though), and somewhere in this process, I learned to design websites and started coding. It is then that I finally felt I found what I want to pursue as a passion and career. Today, I am proud to say that I am well-versed in the top programming and scripting languages and still learning more.

Although I am doing what I am passionate about, at times I feel maybe I am overdoing it and not learning anything new as I did earlier in my childhood. This is where the Spark came in, and they provided me with opportunities to learn multiple skills (I learned to use Blender, TinkerCAD, and 3D Printers until now), all as a part of my job role. How many jobs provide you with that? All my teammates with alike mindsets are the icing on the cake.

Apart from all this, my hobbies are going on long rides on my motorcycle, reading novels, cooking, and playing badminton.