Mimi Lertsaroj
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About
Junior, Class of 2025
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand
Major(s): Computer Science
Hello! I'm Mimi and I'm a Junior international student from Bangkok, Thailand majoring in Computer Science. I'm interested in machine learning, psychology and computational neuroscience, and intend to pursue research in my academic career. The CHC curriculum helped cater towards my interests as it is designed for flexibility and personalisation, allowing me to explore my broader range of interests through various classes offered at the honours level without throwing in a ridiculous amount of work. Outside of the CHC and academics, I'm the president of the UMass Art Club and I'm also a die-hard Tetris enthusiast and occasionally (some of) my friends' designated amateur life coach.
Why did you choose UMass Amherst and Commonwealth Honors College?
When choosing my university, I had three crucial criteria:
- The quality of the computer science program
- Research opportunities available
- Whether the curriculum would allow me to engage with my passions
It just so happens UMass Amherst and CHC met all three with flying colors! Particularly, CHC appealed to me as the environment and curriculum aligns with my personal values and goals as a student. The curriculum was designed in a way which catered to my personal goals and interest, where I was given the flexibility to explore topics beyond my major through classes like Ideas That Changed The World without taking away focus from my discipline. The general education classes offered at the Honors level also accommodates my preferred learning style, where they’re typically more interactive, discussion-based style as well as, at least for classes like linear algebra or calculus, go more in depth with proofs and theories behind the discussed identities. Lastly, and likely one of the biggest reasons I chose CHC, was because of the Honors thesis. Yes, you read that correctly. The thesis is the perfect opportunity for me to engage with my passion in a way that is specifically catered to my interest and my goals. This is a unique circumstance that, although may be daunting, allows me to combine different facets of my interests into a passion project that not only serves to cultivate my knowledge, but also allows for extremely valuable hands-on experiences that will help me in the future.