Reflection

An indulgent, insightful look at a fashion journey — how it started, what it means, and where it's going.

Without pausing to assess your highs and lows, it is impossible to celebrate what is working or honestly reckon with what needs to change. A case for building regular reflection into work, faith, and life.

The urge to give advice is often strongest exactly when the other person needs you to ask a question and stay quiet instead — a reflection on why listening takes more courage than speaking.

Customers do not remember the logic of what they bought — they remember how it made them feel. Building something that lasts means designing for the emotional experience, not just the product itself.

Knowledge without experience is a map you do not know how to use, and experience without knowledge is terrain you are wandering without a map. Wisdom comes from intentionally building both.

Maps go obsolete the moment circumstances shift; a compass grounded in core values keeps you oriented through career changes, family transitions, and every season of life that did not appear in the original plan.

The most important decisions in life benefit from a diverse group of trusted advisors — people who bring experience, honesty, and perspective to areas where you need it most.

Going back and forth, finding balance seemed impossible to achieve, and it never seemed to end. But there were moments when I achieved serendipity. When I experienced balance while facing the two opposing views.

We are making decisions every single moment of our life; what food to order at a restaurant, which YouTube recommended video to watch, or what color mask (if any) to wear before heading out.

Whether it’s spent working on a project, exercising, leisurely watching some shows, or reflecting on the purpose of life (a timely activity I partake in), being able to know where your time goes allows you to know how you’re using your time.

I’ve always believed that more is better. The more resources, experience, or time you have, the better you’re able to do things. That extra dollar, extra skill, and extra hour can go a long way. But sometimes, having more can be a hindrance.

I grew up with a lot of different dreams. Each of these dreams was inspired based on the season I was going through.

A reminder that life can bring storms, and they are challenging, but they will end eventually. In hindsight, everything will make sense and it will be a growing experience.

Playing both mentor and mentee across work, church, and entrepreneurship, Eric reflects on why intentional investment in someone else changes both people in ways that only become visible in hindsight.

I learned a lot about tennis rating systems from my friend, as well as the competitiveness of tennis. Essentially you’re ranked against the world, and most people who try to get into the field start as early as their teen years, skip college to compete, and only the top 100+ people can maintain a tennis career as a salary.

I think the biggest takeaway is that if I feel I have a stake in the conversation or great enough reason to speak up, I would.

Did you know, when you look in the mirror or a video call, who you see every day is a mirrored view of what everyone sees?

After an exhausting all-night move-out, packing four years of memories from his first apartment, Eric reflects on what it means to close one chapter and carry what matters forward into the next.

Quarantine gave Eric a clearer picture of his limits but also made him passive; this is his honest account of trying to break out of that comfort zone, starting with small acts of care toward others.

Believing in God is one thing — actually living in freedom from the identity He gives you is another. A reflection on what it means to move truth from the head down into the heart.

A look back at the wins and hard lessons of 2019 that shaped a two-word theme to carry into the new year: Focus and Rest. Setting a guiding theme is one of the simplest and most underrated ways to direct how you live.

The news didn’t register quick enough and before I knew it, it slid swiftly by.

I tend to look at myself with a low regard, and expectations that seem almost disgusting. What is it about this juxtaposition? Why do I do this to myself Something is wrong with how I approach this insecurity.

Prayer is our communication with God. As communication is important in any worldly relationship, prayer is important in our spiritual relationship with God. Many things can hurt or further grow our relationships: whether it’s having small talk, sharing a story or life update, telling about your day, fighting over a belief or value, or making amends and asking for forgiveness.

My last UTCS blog post—seven life lessons from college on journaling, saying no, building habits, community, and learning to be imperfect.

On chasing curiosity down unexpected paths — using Alice's rabbit hole as a metaphor for diving deep into something you can't fully see the end of.

After too many GDC all-nighters and hunchbacked computer sessions, a realization: physical health is foundational to succeeding in everything else.

A deliberate decision to step out of the entrepreneurship season — reflecting on what prompted the choice and what comes next after leaving it behind.

Entering college without knowing what CS even was — a reflection on how uncertainty about your path is normal, and how curiosity becomes the compass when there's no map.

With most required CS courses checked off, finally choosing electives freely — and why a history course opened an unexpected window into learning and campus life.

After a nonstop semester packed with meetings, projects, and entrepreneurial events — taking a breath, looking back at what mattered, and setting intentions for a more deliberate year.

Coming back from Thanksgiving break with nothing done and no regrets—choosing rest over grinding, then gearing up to finish the semester like a marathon.

A letter written to myself (and anyone else running on empty) making the case for actually resting over Thanksgiving break instead of grinding through it.

Confessing my pattern of saying yes to everything—cramming courses, hackathons, orgs, recruiting—and how a summer mission trip finally taught me to aim before I fire.

A tour through every interview format—coding challenges, phone screens, video calls, whiteboarding—and learning to stop performing for companies and just aim to be better than yesterday.

When I went up to Michigan in the middle of September, I was so excited! But something was wrong. Michigan holds a special place in my heart — a place where I think about friends, food, and memories. But nowhere during the time had I thought about Him. Jesus. God. The Father. The Creator.

A playful reminder to look past the free t-shirts and BBQ at CS events and actually engage with what they offer—mentors, learning, interviews, and real connections.

Processing a season of busyness and the disorientation that comes with it—and why turning toward community instead of clinging to feelings is what reorients me.

As I returned from my mission trip up in Michigan at the end of summer, I felt unsure in what the future held for my church.

Shifting from shotgunning resumes at every booth to recruiting with intention—researching company values, culture, and mission to find a fit worth rooting into.

Coming back from a summer mission trip in Michigan with a new question—why do I do what I do?—and drafting my first lifetime vision statement.

Who are you? How did you come to be here? What drives you to be you?

This past Sunday, I went to a Christian benefits concert, Helping Hands, and I didn’t experience God.

This past summer, I spent time up in Michigan doing a missions trip, doing an after school program for a high school in the Southeast part of Detroit During that time, I was challenged a lot in my faith, facing faith-crises and working through many insecurities that God revealed in my life.

An end-of-sophomore-year recap—cramming Texas history, surviving OS, running 100 miles, organizing hackathons, and looking ahead to junior year.

I found that my lack of experience and knowledge when initially working in JavaScript had stopped me from wanting to work with it. I realized that if I hadn’t been forced to program in JavaScript, though, I never would’ve opened myself up to working on the language in the future, if ever.

Writing a blog post about procrastination while procrastinating on a final project—digging into why I avoid work and what urgency actually looks like when it shows up.

If I, who claim to be a Christian, am timid when it comes to sharing my testimony with people of the same faith, how in the world am I able to share the story God wrote in my life to others?

Building the SWE Flask API, debugging a GCP deployment issue, and reflecting on overcommitment and what actually matters.

Realizing I'd spent over a year in CS chasing grades instead of learning—and the slow shift toward checking the heart behind the intention.

Winning Mobile Track at HackUTD with SensorStrike, planning the SWE website project team, and previewing a second short story.

The original version of my CS event swag rant—watching students stampede a recruiter's table and reflecting on the privilege we take for granted as CS majors.

Algo exam regrets over a wasted 20 minutes on a counterexample, finishing a short story without a conclusion, and wondering if there's room for everything.

A mid-college crisis at the career fair—choosing a mission trip over an internship, discovering a love for teaching through proctoring, and questioning whether the industry is really where I belong.

Church retreat debt, tedious Algo proofs, interviewing a UTCS professor on OS research, and changing a fiction story from zombies to tribal artists.

Proctoring OOP and getting frustrated by lazy questions—then realizing the frustration is really with my past self, and making the case for owning what you don't know.

A pitch for CS majors to take non-CS classes—social dance, fiction writing, interpersonal communication—and how stepping outside the major builds you as a person.

Coming back from winter break after a brutal semester and wrestling with the comparison trap—choosing to step into a new season instead of staying bound by old insecurities.

Five days of JavaScript30, designing a social dance app with microservices, and a spiritual fast from YouTube and social media.

Five finals-week survival tips—planned breaks, hot chocolate, honest venting, study groups, and letting it go once the exam is done.

Learning to ask for help after spending three days on a problem a coworker fixed in five minutes—and finding the balance between cheap help and expensive help.