Meet the Grad: Leonardo Peele

What first sparked your interest in STEM, engineering or computer science? Was there a person, class or experience that ultimately pushed you toward the Statler College?

In elementary school, whenever we finished our classwork early, we were allowed to use our school chromebooks to play games on coolmathgames.com. I loved coolmathgames, and I remember racing through my assignments to give myself as much time to play as possible. While playing on coolmath, I thought about how it would be fun to make my own games someday. In middle school, I decided to take a summer programming class at my community college, teaching me how to code using Scratch. I loved this class, and every day after class I would bring my patient little sister to the family computer with me so I could teach her everything I had learned and show her everything I had made in class that day. This course sparked my interest in coding, and when I returned to middle school in the Fall, I started a coding club, presented my video games at middle school science fairs, created an educational video game which was used in the classroom, and started a tutoring program at my local elementary school to help kids get started coding.

I knew computer science was the right path for me during my U.S. Government course in my sophomore year of high school. Up until that point, I was unsure whether I wanted to be a lawyer or a computer scientist, and even though my U.S. Government teacher was fantastic, I realized that I really really did not like learning about law. I then decided to go all in on computer science. I have a lot of fun writing code, and as frustrating as development can sometimes be, I think it is so incredibly rewarding when you build something cool and it works. 

What inspired you to pursue your major within the Statler College over other programs or universities?

I chose the computer science major at Statler College because I felt that the curriculum was built in a way that would expose me to all of the faces of computer science while also providing me with flexibility to pursue other technical subjects of interest. I’ve treated college as an exploratory process, searching for a specialization within computer science, which I have been able to find through my coursework and extracurriculars.

Can you share a project, capstone or research experience that had a lasting impact on you or helped shape your career path?

One memorable project started at Carnegie Mellon University last summer. At a Statler career fair during my junior year, I met a recruiter from CMU Heinz College who was looking for WVU students to participate in the IT Lab: Summer Security Intensive Fellowship. During the fellowship, I was part of a group research project on software supply chain attacks. After the summer program and research ended, I continued to work on potential solutions with one of my classmates, Evan Lubinsky, leading us to launch our startup Iron Ridge Cyber this year in West Virginia. Since then, we have won seed money at the Mountain State Cyber Summit and ZINN Starter Pitch Competition with help from the WVU Launch Lab and Cyber WVU.

How did your time in labs, student organizations, competition teams or other extracurriculars help you grow—academically, professionally or personally?

My start in undergraduate research was coincidental, and I was inspired to get into it because it allowed me to take my theoretical knowledge from the classroom and apply it to real world projects.

My first research experience was by far the most challenging. I started researching at the Dr. Pereira’s Field and Aerial Robotics Laboratory in my freshman year, joining a team of undergraduate and graduate students working on military rescue using drones. I was tasked with developing a cooperative formation control algorithm and building a computer simulation for testing the drones. Some weeks I could feel myself making progress, and other weeks it felt like I was starting from scratch again. After 4-5 months of research, I felt as though I had made every mistake possible, and I didn’t have much to show for all of my hours of research. The school year ended, and I was selected for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at WVU. Finally, after months of research, my simulation worked! Not only did it work, but I understood how it worked, and I had made progress. At the end of the summer, I achieved my research goals, and presented at the 2023 WVU Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, where I was honored to receive the runner-up best poster in my category. I continued my research into the fall, winning second place best poster overall at the 2023 Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence Conference Chicago and first place best oral presentation in my category at the 2023 WVU Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium.

In my leadership roles in the Beekeeping and Chess clubs, I’ve volunteered in outreach events where I’ve been impressed with the sense of community and togetherness in West Virginia. In the Chess Club, local parents sometimes bring their young children who are welcomed at our meetings and events, and are often better at chess than I am. In the Beekeeping Club, we collaborate with local beekeepers to help take care of our bees and teach beekeeping. Prior to my leadership in these clubs, I didn’t expect to interface with so many community members outside of the university, and I’ve been surprised by how willing people have been to help and assist with our clubs.

Volunteering as a Statler Ambassador is special to me because when I was an incoming freshman, one of the Statler Ambassadors who I met at an incoming students event made a difference for me. I didn't know anybody going to WVU, I was nervous about college, and Jakob Loverde was my first friend I made on campus. He gave me his business card, answered questions I sent to him via email, got me involved in his clubs. When I speak and interact with prospective students, I hope to have a similar impact.

As an Undergraduate Research Ambassador, I’ve been able to guide students into some of the same opportunities I’ve done, such as the Research Apprenticeship Program, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, and Undergraduate Research Ambassadors. I’ve also supported students in opportunities outside of WVU, such as the IT Lab at Carnegie Mellon University and software development internships at the MITRE Corporation. Helping other students is incredibly rewarding, I love to give back to the programs and communities that have done so much for me.

I studied abroad in the Spring semester of my Sophomore year at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. I went into my study abroad headfirst, I had never been to Belgium, I didn’t know anybody in Belgium, and I didn’t speak Flemish (or Dutch or French). During my 5-month program, I adapted to a different education system, climate, and culture, all while learning how to cook my own meals and live by myself for the first time. It was an incredible, one of a kind experience, and I made so many friends from all over the world whom I still keep in touch with. During my semester abroad, I felt like I kicked off the training wheels, and grew into a more adaptable student. My study abroad taught me social, intercultural, and life skills beyond what academics could.

In my freshman year, I had the opportunity to join an international team of Brazilian and American engineering students to investigate Mining Engineering in the United States and in Brazil. Our group was 10 students, 5 Brazilians and 5 Americans, all from different engineering disciplines to give us diverse perspectives on Mining Engineering. We held regular meetings throughout the semester to discuss progress and next steps, and I learned a lot about college in Brazil. The research project culminated with two trips, one where the Americans went to Brazil, and one where we hosted the Brazilians in Morgantown. Some of the coolest things I got to see in Brazil were the autonomous trucks being used in the Brucutu Mine and the smart glasses being developed in Senai 2.0 research center. I got to see different engineering methodologies and strategies firsthand, as parts of the Brazilian approach to engineering and education are different than in the United States. For example, in the Senai research center I saw a large emphasis on hands-on learning, as young middle school aged students had wiring kits and technical hardware fixed onto their desks for class.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I am going to complete my Master of Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. This degree will provide additional business and management skills to complement my technical skills. After completing my graduate degree, I plan to fill a technical management position. I would also like to teach, and can see myself as an adjunct faculty member.

What advice would you give to incoming Statler students?

Attend office hours and build relationships with your professors. This will help you engage with the course material and can open up doors for various unexpected opportunities.

Get organized and stay organized. Half of the battle in my undergraduate studies has been keeping track of all of my assignments. I've missed countless unnecessary points due to poor organization and time management. In freshman year especially, as I almost tanked my Calculus grade because I didn’t realize homework was being assigned online until halfway through the semester!

Learn more about the computer science program and the many opportunities that WVU and the Statler College provide to help student thrive.