Course Staff

Course instructor: Diba Mirza

Course TAs

Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULA)

In addition to the intructor and TA, there are several ULAs in the course who are available to assist you during your scheduled lab sections (also called closed labs) and by holding additional help hours outside of sections (also called open-labs). The closed-labs are only available to students registered for that lab section on GOLD. The open-labs are available to all students registered in the course (similar to office hours). Note that we are switching all in-person closed and open labs to online office hours (see below)

Online office hours via zoom starting March 11 (Wed)

Following the Chancellor’s email on March 10, all in person office hours and labs are canceled. Instead, we are offering online office hours with the course staff and the professor from today (March 11) until Monday (March 16). Please follow the instructions below to join the online office hours. You will need access to a laptop with a micro-phone. We highly recommend using headphones and avoid noisy places. You have the option of turning on your camera to provide a video feed, although that is completely optional.

Instructions for joining online office hours

  1. Create a UCSB Zoom Account: https://ucsb.zoom.us/
  2. Download the Zoom application for your desktop and/or mobile device: https://zoom.us/download
  3. Open the zoom application on your desktop.
  4. Click on join a meeting.
  5. Enter the meeting ID for your TA/LA’s office hour. You can find the office hour times and the meeting IDs below:

Lectures and Labs

Lecture: Section A: TR - 2:00p-3:15p, Section B: TR: 3:30p-4:45p, PSYCH 1924. ATTENDANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

** Lab: W: 9a, 10a, 11a, 12p; M: 1p, 2p, 3p, 4p; .

CS 16 Mentor profiles

Image Cindy Lu (ULA) "Hello! My name is Cindy (she/her/hers) and I am a fourth year computer science major. This is my first time tutoring this course and I am looking forward to working with you all!

CS16 was the first computer science class I took at UCSB and I believe that it is important to excel in this class because it will prepare you for upcoming cs classes. Having a solid foundation in the concepts you will learn in this class is important as it will definitely aid you in succeeding upper division and elective classes, as well as in the industry. I have had two summer internship experiences, so if you have questions or need advise on applying/internviewing feel free to reach out! I am extremely patient when trying to explain concepts and solve problems, so don't be afraid to approach me with any questions related to the class or about life in general!

In my free time, I like to rock climb and run, I also watch a lot of shows (currently watching Succession). One of my goals for this quarter is to watch the sunset everyday and it's been making me appreciate the world more."
Image Jared Flores (ULA) "Hi! My name is Jared. I'm a second year CS major, and I'm really excited as this is my 4th quarter as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant! I've been the Program Lead for the ULA program for the past two quarters, so whether you're a student looking for some help, or an experienced CS major looking for some opportunities, I'm more than happy to talk to you about any of it.

If you're looking for some industry mentoring too, I worked as a freelance Software Engineer and led the nation's largest high school Cyber Security program, as such I'm well-versed in Windows, Linux, and CISCO networking. In my free time, you'll often find my in CSIL or the UCSB Library working late into the nights on CS labs or working on games.

I love game development and entertainment based applications, so if you ever have the inspiration to create the next big MMO or even a small singleplayer platformer, definitely reach out on Piazza -- I'm absolutely ready to help mentor or be a team member. Coding is an art to me; I'm in love with the intricacies and logical nuances that it entails.

In my free time, I'm super into photography and creative writing/poetry. Recently, I've been learning to draw pixel art as well for my games! (I also enjoy playing games, not just developing them. My personal favorite is Terraria, but if there's anything you want to play together, let me know! I have some spare copies of Terraria in my Steam library that I'm looking to hand out.)"
Image Alexis Cole (ULA) "Hi everyone! I’m Alexis, a third year computer science major. My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I’m super excited to be a tutor for CS16 this quarter! CS16 is a really great class that will help you build your C++ skills and teach you the fundamentals of computer science. I came into UCSB with zero computer science experience, and I hope to help anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by new concepts. I also hope to help everyone build confidence in their skills and place within computer science. Some of my hobbies include dancing, reading, climbing, and embroidery. I also love trying out new recipes and restaurants in my free time. I have held multiple on-campus jobs, previously as Lead Desk Attendant in Santa Cruz hall and currently as a tour guide. I'm a big believer in exploring things that have absolutely nothing to do with your major, whether it be clubs, classes, intramural sports, info sessions, or performances. These experiences are so important for us to become more well-rounded individuals, and serve as a reminder that we are more than our majors and GPAs. This last Fall, I studied abroad in Lund, Sweden (and deepened my love for Ikea). I was able to take upper division computer science courses and travel all over Europe. If you are even just a bit interested in studying abroad, I highly encourage you to meet with your advisor. Living and learning in another country helped me develop more confidence in myself and helped me clarify my career goals. I have completed a few internships in the past, and will be interning at Amazon this summer. Please feel free to reach out to me about study abroad, internships, on-campus jobs, classes, or just to chat. I look forward to working with you all this quarter!"
Image Aesha Parekh (ULA) "Hi, I’m Aesha (pronounced ey-shah, pronouns: she/her/hers)! I’m a first-year Computer Science major originally from the Bay Area. Although this will be my first quarter as a CS Undergrad Tutor, I enjoyed tutoring throughout high school, and I’m excited to be a CS 24 tutor this quarter! I took CS 24 just last quarter, so most of the course material is still fresh to me and I remember a lot of the concepts that I had difficulty with, as well as the questions I had. I know that the transition between courses and the pacing of the quarter system can be challenging, as it is something I experience myself. As a tutor, I hope to help you overcome these obstacles in order to succeed in CS 24 while I get the opportunity to solidify my understanding of this foundational material. I will try my best to help you strengthen your computer science foundation, learn new concepts, and build your problem solving skills this quarter. Besides tutoring, in my free time, I enjoy playing badminton, trying new food, hanging out with friends, reading books, and watching shows/movies.

I also recently switched majors from Computer Engineering to Computer Science, so if you have any questions about switching into CS, please do not hesitate to ask me. If you have any other questions about CS 24, C++, Java, other lower division CS/Math coursework, or even if you just want to chat, please feel free to reach me through Piazza or during open lab hours. I look forward to getting to know all of you!"
Image Roberto Gutierrez (ULA) "Hello! My name is Roberto Gutierrez, and I am a 2nd year CS major. I have he/him/his pronouns. I’m thrilled to be tutoring CS16 because it was the first CS course I took here and I generally love helping people understand new things.

C++ seemed pretty daunting to me when I took CS16 so I’m glad to be a resource for y'all now that I’m more experienced. It is important you gain a solid grasp of the course’s material in order to have a good foundation for your future courses, especially since C++ is widely used all over the world. With that being said, don’t be afraid to ask for help! The other tutors/TAs are more than happy to answer your questions and help you through this class! I used to always be hesitant to ask for help in my courses, and especially in CS16. As a result, I ended up underperforming in the class when I could’ve done better. So take it from me, utilize all your resources so you can do your best!

My skills include both C++ and Java programming as well as an above average understanding of the Windows OS (gained from years of reading tech support forums in search for answers to my families’ tech support questions). My key interest in Computer Science lies in cyber-security so if you have any questions regarding that or just feel like discussing it I’d be more than happy to talk.

Other than CS my hobbies include playing video games and amateur graphic design. I also enjoy listening to a plethora of different music so if you have any recommendations let me know! My favorite tv shows are Brooklyn 99, the Office, Psych, and Breaking Bad and my favorite video games are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Hollow Knight, Super Mario Odyssey. "
Image Adarsha Poudel (ULA) "Hello, everyone. I am Adarsha Poudel(he/him/his). I am originally from a mysterious land of southeast-Asia called Nepal. I moved here two years ago, and now I currently live in Santa Rosa, California(NorCal). I'm a first year CS major planning to minor in math. I am very excited to be tutoring for CS 24. I took CS24 last quarter with Prof.Mirza(she is an amazing professor), and I found it very interesting. It actually changed the way how I used to think about coming up with solutions that just works (but is very inefficient). After learning concepts such as Big-O and data structures such as Binary Trees in CS24, Stack, and Queues; I realized I could write the same solution which works very fast and efficient. I'm sure you guys will also find it interesting eventually. Just to let you know guys, it's actually the first CS course that helps you get trained for the interviews for internships. Outside the class, I try to improve my coding skills by solving mathematical-oriented CS problems in sites such as projectEuler and Hackerank, so I recommend you guys to check it out to see if it sparks some interest on you. This is my first quarter tutoring here, so I'm thrilled to share my knowledge and also improve myself interacting with you guys. If you any questions, please don't hesitate to ask even when you feel like its a stupid question. You can't improve if you leave a concept that you don't know unanswered. Hope, you guys will enjoy the class."
Image Heather Dinh (ULA) "Hi everyone, welcome to CS16! My name is Heather Dinh and I am a first-year Computer Science major. My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers.

This is my first time tutoring for this course, and I’m very excited for the opportunity to get to know you all throughout the quarter. My goal is to help each student grasp the underlying concepts of computer programming using C++. CS16 is a great class to build your fundamental understanding of computer science, and will prepare you well for subsequent computer science courses. I took this course last quarter with Professor Mirza, so I’m extremely familiar with the functionality and structuring of the labs; don’t be afraid to approach me with any questions you have during lab! Aside from lab hours, feel free to reach me through Piazza.

At UCSB, I’m involved in a few different organizations such as Society of Women Engineers and Data Science Club. These are great clubs to meet other STEM majors and connect over a mutual interest, whether it be participating in outreach events or discovering the basics of data visualization. Aside from on-campus groups, I am part of an intramural basketball team and enjoy playing classical and pop piano in my free time, going to the gym, eating food not from the dining hall, and hanging out with friends. Some general advice for this course: practicing and becoming familiar with the UNIX environment and Github will really make you feel more comfortable writing code for the labs. I know that once I got used to all the commands utilized in these environments (and vim too), the organization of the course made much more sense to me, and the objective of each lab was more clear. If you have any questions, I’m here to help during open lab hours and Piazza. Good luck and hopefully you’ll discover how fun computer science can be!"
Image Johnson Ku (ULA) "Hello everyone! My name is Johnson Ku and I am currently a 2nd year CS major. My preferred pronouns are he/him/his. This quarter will be my first time tutoring and I am excited to work with you all!

CS16 was the first computer science class I took at UCSB, and it really reaffirmed my decision to come here as a CS major. I learned a lot from this course – a new language, command line usage, and memory allocation just to name a few things. Furthermore, it was taught by a staff that truly cared about the success of the students. I came back as a tutor because I wanted to welcome the students with the same enthusiasm that I received during my first quarter here.

Over the past year, I have participated in hackathons like SB Hacks and worked on projects involving computer vision and databases. Through these experiences, I have familiarized myself with various tools, such as the Spring Boot framework, the cloud platform Heroku, and several Computer Vision APIs. I have also picked up a couple other programming languages, Java and Python, in the process. Outside of CS, my other hobbies are camping and playing baseball. As a former boy scout, I have been all over California and several other states. Some of my favorite places include Point Reyes, Philmont in New Mexico, and Camp Parsons in Seattle. As for baseball, I grew up watching the two bay teams, the Giants and Athletics. Whenever I get the chance, I still enjoy playing catch and having batting practice with my old teammates.

If you have any questions, whether it is about CS courses, hackathons, or even how to prepare for interviews, feel free ask me during section, drop by at open lab hours, or simply post on Piazza. I look forward to getting to know all of you!"
Image Leron Reznikov (ULA) "Welcome to CS16! My name is Leron, I’m a second year CS major, and I’m excited to be tutoring this class for the first time! My pronouns are he/him/his. Teaching is one of my passions, and I’ve done various private tutoring jobs before I came to UCSB. I’m glad to have the opportunity to tutor in a more formal setting!

I’m looking forward to helping all of you get acclimated to using C++. I took CS16 last year with prior knowledge only in Java, and getting used to the language definitely took some time and effort. C++ is an extremely powerful programming language, but that makes it a lot easier to make mistakes that are difficult to catch. The transition process can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to stay on top of all of the work required in this class. I hope I can help smooth the process for everyone!

I’ve also spent the past summer/fall on the search for internships, so if anyone needs help or advice on where to start feel free to reach out, since I know the process is daunting. On campus, I’m on the student board of Hillel (a Jewish organization), and the Outreach Coordinator of the Regents Scholar Association. These activities help me get more connected to the campus community. Outside of school, my main hobby is playing piano. Music is a great way to relax, and is a great way to take your mind off of some challenging programming problems :). I also enjoy board games, going to the gym, and most importantly meeting new people. If you need to reach me, you can message me on Piazza or stop by during any of my open lab hours. I’m super excited to get to know you all throughout this quarter! "
Image Michael Zhang (ULA) "Hi all! My name is Michael (he/him/his) and I’m a 2nd-year CS major!

CS16 is a fundamental course for future classes and lays the groundwork for your CS future (or other disciplines). I’m excited to help make your experience as wonderful as mine and answer any questions you may have! Piazza’s an excellent way to reach me (or any other tutors/TAs/instructors) and I’ll be sure to respond as soon as I can.

I understand that the material may be a little overwhelming or difficult, but I’m always free to review lectures and help you grasp any challenging concepts. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on Piazza either! It may be a little intimidating but I’m certain that if you have a lingering question, others in the class have the same concern. After all, it’s best to learn and clear up any confusion rather than ignore a problem (which very well could be important in the future).

Although searching for an internship may seem daunting, I’m more than happy to give advice and help you practice for technical/behavioral interviews. Internships are a great way to spend a summer (or quarter) honing your skills and explore new places & fields!

Outside of CS, I’m always open to discuss just about anything – from course planning to sports to research. I’m an avid fan of Star Wars & I love to binge watch TV shows in my spare time – so anytime you want to debate the politics of intergalactic trade in the Empire, let me know! I also played basketball in high school and follow the NBA religiously; growing up in the Bay, I’m a natural Warriors fan, but I’ll manage if you’re a Lakers fan.

Whether you want to clarify a few questions before an exam or just chat about anything in general, feel free to talk to me at any time!"
Image Rucha Kolhatkar (ULA) "Hi! My name is Rucha and I am a third-year Computer Engineering major. My first Computer Science class that I took here at UCSB was CS16, and that course reassured me that I picked the correct major. Initially I felt that university-level Computer Science courses would be overwhelming, but the professors, TAs, and mentors were very understanding and helped me through every difficulty. Because I have had such amazing mentors and TAs in the past CS courses, I would love to help students learn CS and explain to them concepts that they are having difficulty understanding. I have taken part in research on campus, and I am also a member of IEEE. If you have any questions regarding any material related to CS or CE, or even if you just want to talk to me, feel free to contact me through Piazza or catch me during my lab hours."
Image Eddie Zhang (ULA) "Hi everyone! My name is Eddie Zhang, first year CS major (he/him/his). Hopefully I'll be able to be of use in teaching you some of the stuff in CS16, but it would be even more awesome if I could help you guys with stuff outside of just class! Don't be afraid to ask me some of the more fun stuff in CS like making web apps or games. Although I'm just a first year and don't have too much experience with any of these areas, I think there's still some value that I could contribute for you. Looking forward to an awesome quarter!"