Karo Zhu

Majors: Computer Science and English

Q: Why did you choose this area of study?

A: I came to CWRU as an English major because I wanted to spend more time studying Shakespeare (which I recently wrote my capstone paper on!), and later added the computer science major when I grew interested in the problem solving nature of engineering and the applications of computer science across disciplines.

Q: What’re your plans after graduation? 

A: I will be joining Amazon as a software engineer in their New York City office.

Q: Why did you choose CWRU? 

A: CWRU gave me the chance to bounce around majors and colleges until I eventually found my fit in computer science, after going through multiple other majors and minors.

Q: What’s your favorite memory of CWRU?

A: Back in my freshman year, I pulled an all nighter in KSL’s third floor to study for finals. I was dead tired by the morning, but to see the sunrise from the windows in KSL, lighting up the quad and Severance Hall, made the night worth it. Alternatively, the first time I’d ever seen a groundhog, being from California, prompting me to text all my friends with a photo asking, “Why is that squirrel so chunky?”

Q: As a graduating senior, what’s one thing you’d like to share with incoming freshman? 

A: As cheesy as it sounds, college is a marathon and not a sprint. I didn’t feel like I had my life together until late my junior year, when all of the work I had put in finally started to pay off. Don’t be discouraged, just try to push through. Also, get grippy boots for the winter, or be prepared for your friends to laugh while you face plant into the snow.