View the issue here. - The Gordon School

ALEXANDER HEITZMANN ‘02Alex is a Software Development Engineer atthe Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA.He attended Milton Academy ’06 and BrownUniversity ’10.What led you to computer science?A general interest in computers and the factthat both my parents work in the field led meto take my first computer science course atMilton. Once I began to explore the disciplineI realized that it seemed to combine the bestaspects of other subjects and hobbies that Ihave always enjoyed. For example, ever sincemy father introduced me to woodworking Ihave gotten great satisfaction from taking anabstract idea and bringing it to life.The creativity that goes into a woodworkingdesign, the problem solving required to overcomestructural and functional problems, andthe pleasure of seeing the finished piece areall present in computer science as well, withthe added benefit of the materials being muchmore malleable than wood.What is your role at Microsoft?I work with a team of around 80 people ona product called Silverlight, a platform forcreating rich internet applications and mediaexperiences. Our highest profile customer isprobably Netflix, which uses the Silverlightmedia player. My job is to design and implementnew features that expand the capabilitiesof the platform, and to fix issues that our testteam or customers have discovered.How did your Gordon experience prepare you?Gordon fostered an amazing sense of independenceand open-mindedness. I always feltencouraged to pursue interests that fell outsidethe typical curriculum, and my perspectives onall sorts of issues were frequently challenged.The Civil Rights Trip is a perfect example of thisculture. Having the opportunity at thirteen togo out into the world and meet the people andsee the places that we had been learning aboutin school was an eye-opening experience. Itshowed me the importance of being attunedto social issues and the many viewpoints thatsurround them, and played a large role ingiving me the confidence to make adventurousdecisions like attending Milton Academy as aboarding student and eventually moving acrossthe country to work for Microsoft.Are there any teachers from Gordon thatstand out for you?All of my Gordon teachers had an obviouspassion for being educators. They alwaysseemed willing to work with their students asindividuals, and several of them went aboveand beyond to help me with extracurricularprojects or weak areas. Some of my strongerrecollections are from Mr. Dorsey’s class.On one occasion I expressed an interest inthe quadratic formula; Mr. Dorsey brought ina book to give me about its history, and wentover the derivation with me after class. Laterthat year I was allowed to tackle the Rubik’sCube for credit on an open-ended project(which turned out to be a big win on thoselong bus rides on the Civil Rights Trip!).Ms. Bowman and Mr. Wallace were immenselyhelpful in showing me how to think criticallyand express my opinions and convictions withconfidence, skills without which I doubt Iwould have been successful at Milton. And ofcourse, I think everyone enjoyed Mr. Kravitz’sclass, which I remember as an engaging andunique experience, thanks to activities like ourexcursions to the Gordon pond and mock trialsheld over important issues.ReflectionsLooking back, it seems like there was anice, straight road leading me from Gordon,to Milton, to Brown, to my current job atMicrosoft. The reality, of course, is that everydecision point was filled with uncertainty.As students, we are constantly given the opportunityto change course, whether it be by takingnew classes, choosing an entirely new school,or reinventing ourselves and forming newrelationships. Personally, I have to thank myparents for being nothing but supportive, buteven if you are fortunate like me in that regard,when you are given these amazing opportunitiesthe pressure to always make the rightchoice can weigh heavily on you.Choosing a high school was the first major,life-changing decision that I had to make formyself, and along with my parents, the teachersat Gordon helped me to reflect honestly aboutwhere I had been, what I had accomplished,and what was important to me going forward.Throughout my academic career, that lessonabout the value of serious introspection hasguided me through big decisions and perhapsmore importantly, through the little ones: tospend lunch cramming for a test or to eat witha friend, to play intramural flag football or towork on a paper for a research group.These little compromises between pushing toprepare for the future and enjoyment of thepresent may be individually inconsequential,but in aggregate they can make all the difference.I feel extremely fortunate to have found a pathto a successful career without missing out ona whole host of amazing experiences alongthe way.Future PlansI hope to go back to school sometime in thenext few years for a graduate degree. I find thatI get restless doing one thing for an extendedperiod of time, and I think that going back toschool will be a nice change of pace. It mayalso give me the opportunity to focus on someskills that I may need to create a start-up, asI hope to do one day.12