Staff

I love to program, and I love teaching. After 7 years as a Bioinformatics Scientist at a biotech in San Diego, California, I’m excited to be here at BYU. I love this school and I believe strongly in its mission. My wife and I have three young children, and my family is a delight in my life. Stop by my office and say hi!

I am excited to help you get started in the fascinating and extremely useful world of computing! I love using computers to solve problems and have been doing that for more than four decades. I have professional experience in software engineering, technical program management, and technical product management for some very well-known companies. Currently, I work in industry in data science engineering. I am a computational linguist and teach in both the Computer Science and Linguistics departments at BYU. My wife and I have four sons (one who is currently studying CS here) and we all love the outdoors. Besides my family, among my favorite things are scuba diving, hiking/exploring, photography, and gardening.

I got my BS and MS in computer science at BYU and have since accumulated more than 20 years of experience developing software in the tech industry, mainly in the SaaS space. I have always loved teaching and BYU and am excited to get back to both of them part-time. I enjoy history, gardening, biking, and cooking. My wife and I live in Lindon and have 6 children, two of whom are currently at BYU.

I love watching students learn how to program and see the amazing things they can do. I taught CS 142 for 3 years and am excited for CS 110 this year. I have 3 beautiful daughters, 2 of whom are serving missions right now. I enjoy being with my family, trail running, reading, and cooking new recipes.

I have been teaching night classes at the BYU Salt Lake Center since 2019 and have loved every minute of it. During the day I work for EMI Health, an insurance company, developing new online tools and managing much of their data flow. My wife recently gave birth to our first child, so I am excited to start this new adventure as a parent.

Hello! I’m excited to teach you how to program! I truly believe anyone can succeed in this class if you’re willing to practice regularly. There is no such thing as a “coding gene”. My research area is usable security and privacy, which focuses on people and designing technology that fits their needs. My hobbies include reading, hiking, genealogy, and landscape photography. You can learn more about me at zappala.byu.edu.

Hey Everyone! My name is Alessandro, I come from Guatemala and I am studying Computer Science: Machine Learning. I enjoy playing soccer or video games. I speak Spanish and I am currently learning French. I am excited to help you with any questions you have. See you!!

Hey! I am a junior from Chile and am currently studying Applied Math with an emphasis on Economics. I served my mission in Goiânia Brasil. I love listening to folk music, watching soccer, and playing Risk. I took my first-ever programming course here at BYU and found it absolutely fascinating. I am excited to meet and help all of you!

Hi! My name is Aliya. I was born and raise here in Utah. I served a mission in Minneapolis Minnesota (the best mission on Earth)! There I learned a really unique language called Sgaw Karen…after I was called English speaking that is. Ask me about it if you want to know more:) I got married to my high school sweetheart just last year. I’m excited to help you with your questions!

Hi, I’m a senior majoring in Statistics with a emphasis in Data Science. I am proud to be Peruvian-Chinese and a first-generation college student! When I’m not busy with homework, I like to hike, watch Modern Family, and ride my bike around town. The most important things in my life are spending time with my husband and my four cats. Like in the movie Ratatouille, I wanted to become a TA to help others realize that “Anyone can [code].” I look forward to helping you guys!

Yo. I’m Andy Mam. I grew up here in Utah, and I’m a sophomore (I think?) here at BYU. I’m a CS software engineering major. I be gaming and chilling in my free time. I’m excited to work with you guys and learn with you 💯💯💯💯

What’s up! (The ceiling, haha :v) Anyway, I’m Mexican, but I’m not into soccer at all. However, I absolutely adore Mexican food! I’m majoring in Computer Science: Animation. I love watching movies, and my all-time favorite is “Life is Beautiful”(1997) – 100% recommended! Editing pictures is another thing I’m really passionate about. I’m excited to meet you and collaborate this semester!

Howdy! I’m Bradley Peterson but most people call me Lord Destructorator Maximus. I’m a freshman studying computer science and uber-excited to be a TA. I enjoy playing games with new friends, screaming at the top of my lungs when my code finally works, and watching the armies of my enemies burn to ash. I’m happy to help anyone who needs it (except you Dale—You know what you did) and am looking forward to a great semester with you all.

Hey, everyone! My name is Eliza, and I’m a sophomore from Orem, Utah. I love playing guitar and banjo, hiking, drawing, reading, and anything to do with penguins. I had a lot of fun taking CS 110 last year, and I’m excited to help you have a wonderful experience in the class too! ps. you are amazing:)

Hello! I’m Ethan Bang! I’m a Sophomore CS major with an emphasis in Bioinformatics and am super excited to work with y’all! I’m from San Antonio, TX and served my mission in the islands of Hawai’i. My hobbies include food (making it but especially eating it), playing the violin, and making new friends!

I’m a senior, majoring in CS. I served a mission in Japan, and am a nerd through and through. I love spending my free time reading, watching YouTube or anime, playing DnD, and of course programming. You might catch me lurking around the TA lab most days. I love to help, and I look forward to working with all of you.

Hi everyone! I’m a CS major from here in Utah. I love doing anything outdoors, listening to music, and being active. I had a great time in CS 110 and can’t wait to help you enjoy it too!

Hello! I’m a Sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering. I grew up in Glendale, Arizona. When I’m not at school, I enjoy running, biking, swimming, and hiking; basically anything that gets me outside. I can’t wait to meet and help you guys learn to code!

Hey everyone! I’m from Chewelah, Washington. I am majoring in Computer Science with a Business minor. I absolutely love the outdoors and spending time with my friends! I am excited to work with you all and help foster a love for computer science!

Hi, I’m Matthew Partington, and I’m from Crestwood, Kentucky. I am a freshman majoring in Computer Science, and I’ve been hobby programing for 7 years, making mods for Minecraft and Windows Applications. I love programming because you get to create something, and sometimes.

Hi! I’m Porter Dickinson, I’m a CS major, I grew up in Colorado and served my mission in India. I have been taking CS classes for about a year and am super excited to help out.

Howdy! I’m from Richland Washington and a junior in the CS program. I believe that as computers become more capable, we can use that progress to better care for our neighbors around the world. Programming enables me to tackle ever more ambitious personal projects, so I hope you find a way to apply what you are learning too!

Hey everyone! I’m Saba Iqbal, and I’m from Pakistan. I am a CS major researching in Usabale security and Privacy. It’s super exciting to be a part of BYU. I enjoy playing badminton and hiking. I am excited to work with you and help you with your questions!

Hi! I’m Max Gollaher, and I’m a Software Engineering major. I’m from Chicago, and besides programming, I love to ski and rock climb. I’m excited to help you all learn to code!