Peer Academic Coaching for Computer Science
Support for CS 106, 209, 226
Location: Toohey Tech Tower in CIS
Peer Academic Coaches are available to help you develop your content knowledge and study skills. There is no need to sign up. Simply stop by!
| Sunday 7-9PM | Monday 7-9PM | Tuesday 7-9PM | Wednesday 7-9PM |
| Hamza | Derrell | Cassie | Hamza |
| Erick | Cassie | Zander | Erick |
| Zander |
Upcoming Academic session
Beginning a Programming Assignment
Tue 2/4, 8-9pm, CIS Tech Tower
Students in the CS106 will start beginning some tougher programming assignments. This workshop will help students understand how they might begin an assignment. We will give them different tips on how to understand the project as well as how to begin tackling a more complicated problem.
Debug Workshop
Tue 2/18, 8-9pm, CIS Tech Tower
Students at all levels encounter complex programming challenges, making debugging an essential skill. This workshop will guide students through effective debugging strategies to identify and fix errors efficiently. We will cover techniques such as understanding the problem fully, starting with simple test cases, checking for syntax errors, and using print statements to track variables and intermediate results.
meet the computer science pac team
Cassie Davidson '25 - PAC Captain
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Me: I am from Easton, Massachusetts, and play on the women’s basketball team here at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ. During my free time I enjoy hanging out with my cat and 3 dogs, traveling, and fishing. I am really excited to join PAC this semester!
Why PAC?: I really enjoy computer science and would love to help others enjoy it as much as I do. PAC helped me a lot my freshman year so I would love to give back and help whoever may need it!
Favorite Class: My favorite class so far has been CS 226, Software Design, with Dr. Reilly. It was really fun to be able to understand more about how software is put together and organized through code.
Academic Advice: Staying organized by keeping track of assignments and getting work done as early as possible really helps with stress levels later in the semester when things may get crazy.
Zander Chown '25
Majors: Computer Science & Political Science 
Minor: Periclean Honors Forum
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Me: Hi I’m Zander. I grew up in Maine. In my free time I really enjoy playing tennis and chess.
Why PAC?: I enjoy helping others and meeting new students in computer science.
Favorite Class: My favorite class was Computer Networks with Professor Prasad.
Academic Advice: Take things in small pieces one at a time.
Derrell Downey '25
Major: Computer Science Minor: Mathematics 
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Me: I’m from Bergen County, NJ and I’m a big fan of learning and trying new things, especially with my friends.
Why PAC: I’ve used PAC many times in the past to help get through concepts that went completely over my head. I’d love to help students in the same situation the way others helped me.
Favorite Class: My favorite class has been CS 226, Software Design, taught by David Read. It gave me experience working with other important aspects of CS besides coding like testing, logging, and working in a team.
Academic Advice: My advice would be to always get started early. Even if you have to do just 5 minutes of work when you first get an assignment and you’ll be so much more prepared than leaving it all till the end.
Erick Mulindi '25 
Major: Computer Science
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Me: Hi, I am Erick. I like to spend time with my friends and play soccer, volleyball, or billiards in my free time.
Why PAC?: I love computer science and would love to help others develop and grow the same love I have for the field.
Favorite Class: Software Design(CS 226), with Dr. Reilly. It helped me understand the fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming, a crucial concept in software engineering.
Academic Advice: Seek help as often as possible, especially when stuck.
Hamza Mustafa '27 
Major: Computer Science Minor: Mathematics and Statistics
³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ me: My home is 6000 miles away in Jordan and Palestine. I love volleyball and the piano.
Why PAC: I understand the frustration that Computer Science courses can cause, and I want to help show how digestible and doable it can actually be.
Favorite Class: I loved CS-266 with Professor Read and CS-209 with Professor Tom. I can't choose...
Academic Advice: Everything is going to be overwhelming if you're constantly thinking of the whole. Break it up, and worry about the rest later, and I promise you'll finish wondering why you were stressed to begin with.