About Me

Hi, I'm Winston Zhang. I'm currently a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia, studying computer science, astronomy, and economics. I spent most of my time during the school year coding, writing lab reports, and finding new ways to learn and grow. For the past two summers, I have been interning at Fannie Mae, where I have gained real-world experience in full-stuck software development, including a multitude of frameworks, as well as an AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.

At UVA, I am an undergraduate research associate for the Virginia Initiative on Cosmic Origins (VICO), writing programs to support the ongoing computational astrophysics research of the group. I am also an undergraduate teaching assistant for the Astronomy department.

In my free time, I find myself reading articles, watching documentaries, playing video games, and making video edits of the recordings I take while playing with my friends. I have recently also started offering my services as a private tutor to college and high school students alike who want some additional help with their work outside of the classroom. I've also recently started trying to improve my skills at chess.

My skills at a glance

Software Dev.

System Design

Data Analysis

Private Tutoring

Languages I can build your project in

I've gained a wide variety of programming experiences, both as a computer science student, as well as astronomy. From system-level applications in my software engineering classes to data science applications in my astronomical research, I have a versatile skillset that your project could be looking for!

Java

C/C++

Python

HTML/Javascript

SQL/PHP

x86/Arm Assembly

Education

University of Virginia

Offered by the UVA School of Engineering, the B.S. Computer Science program has students complete not only a thorough program of computing courses, but also a wide repertoire of engineering topics, including lab sciences, CAD 3D modeling, finite element analysis, materials science, electrical engineering, and the patent filing process.

Programming topics in the B.S. CS program cover the full range of the discipline, from computer circuit design at the transistor level, to machine code, to operating systems, to full-scale web applications. Students complete various projects in computer architecture, algorithm design, machine learning, cybersecurity, and many other relevant application contexts.

Peering through the interstellar medium into the cosmos of the greater universe, students in the UVA Astronomy program establish a strong scientific knowledge base, studying topics such as physics, observational astronomy, and data analysis. Courses in the astronomy program also explore other topics, such as the search for life beyond Earth, as well as the human colonization mission to Mars.

Closely mirroring the larger Economics B.A. major, with the exception of a few elective courses, the Economics minor sees students master all of the core skills there are to being an economist. From supply-and-demand models to econometric regression analysis, economics students combine the skills of the mathematician, statistician, psychologist, and data scientist, into one interdisciplinary expertise in order to analyze and predict trends of behavior of the market.


Herndon High School

Multitude of AP classes and dual enrollment mathematics. Coursework ranged from chemistry and multivariable calculus to US government and Post-Renaissance European history.

Work Experience

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at UVA Department of Astronomy Jan. 2024 - May. 2023

Before I switched into the astronomy major, I was minoring in astronomy and took a course at UVA called ASTR 3450: Mission to Mars. On the last day of class, the professor gave a very inspiring (and tear-filled) speech about how undergraduates right now will be at a spacefaring age when humanity develops the technology to go to Mars. It moved me so much that it was my final reason to switch majors. I am giving back by spending my last semester as an undergraduate as a TA for ASTR 3450.

Undergraduate Research Assistant at UVA Department of Astronomy Aug. 2023 - May. 2024

As part of my senior thesis, I spent my fourth year at UVA contributing to the research efforts of the UVA Astronomy department. I am working with the VICO Computational Astrophysics group to create a software package in Python that creates forecasted HR diagrams based on simulation data for protoclusters.

Software Development Intern at Fannie Mae June 2022 - Aug. 2023

Interning at Fannie Mae for two summers in a row, I was given the opportunity to support my team in the migration of enterprise software to AWS Cloud Computing services from on-premises servers. I was also able to implement full-stack features in existing software as a part of new software releases to customers, and helped develop and maintain new CI/CD and cloud infrastructure provisioning solutions in the process.

Operations Manager at Storage Scholars, LLC Mar. 2021 - Sept. 2022

I was given the task of running and maintaining the day-to-day operations of the company at a large scale. This included shift assignment, customer service, talent acquisition, and payroll.

Blog

I started in a blog in May of 2023! Check it out at: zangston.github.io/blog


Here are some of my favorite posts that I've made:

Picture of me and my roommate, Ethan, at his graduation ceremony
22. May, 2023 | Personal

Hello world, and a goodbye note to Ethan.

My first ever blog post, plus a little note to Ethan describing my feelings as we part ways after living together for 3 years in college

Image of stars taken by me on the South Lawn at UVA
26. May, 2023 | Astronomy

our ironically significant place in the universe

A reflection and reconciliation with the role our existence plays in the universe

Image of me at the top of Humpback Overlook
26. May, 2023 | Personal

a reflection on my third year at uva

what I've learned in my third year as a college student

Contact

winston.y.zhang@gmail.com

LinkedIn: winston-y-zhang

Instagram: @zangston