Alan Xie.

I got into programming because I liked making people laugh.

I enjoyed building games for my friends and family and watching them have fun with something I made. That was what pulled me in. I liked taking an idea in my head, turning it into something real, and seeing someone else enjoy it. Computer science became a way to bring joy to other people, and the purpose to me was always about the person on the other side.

As I've grown up, that part has stayed the same. My interests have gotten broader, and the work I take on has become more ambitious, but it still comes back to the same reason I started: building for people. I care about whether something is actually usable, whether it makes sense to the person using it, and whether it solves a real problem instead of just sounding impressive.

That feels even more important now. AI is making it easier to produce code, but faster code does not automatically mean better software. The harder part is still knowing what is worth building and why. I think good engineering comes from caring about the details, understanding the people affected by your work, and having enough taste to know when something is not good enough yet.

Outside of work, I enjoy working out, hiking, and playing saxophone for the Marching Illini. I like having things in my life that are physical, creative, and completely different from staring at a screen. Check out some pictures below!