Patrick Demers: Outstanding senior in software engineering

Hometown 

Sioux City, Iowa 

Clubs and activities

I have been involved with the Data Science Club, Competitive Programming Club, and Be the Match on Campus. I have also been a member of the Software Engineering Advisory Council which takes feedback directly from students and shares it with professors. 

Valuable hands-on learning in class 

During my sophomore year, I took SE 309. It was valuable in preparing me for internships since it provides group-based project experience. 

Out-of-the-classroom engineering experience 

My most influential out-of-the-classroom learning experience has been my time at Tesla as a software engineering intern. The fast-paced environment and high expectations helped to shape me into a better engineer. 

Most influential mentor 

Simanta Mitra has pushed me to develop as a software engineer. His class encouraged learning and going beyond your existing knowledge. He also encouraged me to get involved with the Competitive Programming Club which served valuable when interviewing for jobs and internships. 

Best memory 

The MyState app’s bus tracking capabilities are often broken, making getting around Ames more difficult. My greatest accomplishment at Iowa State is creating Ames Ride, a mobile app that students and members of the Ames community can use to track their CyRide. It has been downloaded over 5,000 times and receives over 10,000 daily sessions. It is always exciting to see random people use the app on campus. 

Plans after graduation 

I will be moving to Palo Alto, CA, to join Tesla as a software engineer. 

Making my mark on the world 

I hope to make the world better through software. By joining Tesla, I will be able to contribute to accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy which is a great step to improving the environment and world. 

Engineering like a Cyclone Engineer 

As an engineer at Iowa State, there are endless opportunities to network and learn, all of which will help further your career. Although I wasn’t involved with all of these, you can partake in hackathons, coding competitions, cyber defense competitions, clubs, company networking sessions, career fairs, research, etc. All these options ensure you’ll always be learning and having fun.