Zach DeGeorge isn’t satisfied with merely gaining knowledge—he’s ready and willing to share that knowledge anytime, anywhere. 

You’ll find him serving as a teaching assistant in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Or volunteering to help students sharpen their programming skills. Or mentoring new members of the Intelligent Systems Club.

“Zach is someone who wants to make a difference,” said Nattu Natarajan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Zach volunteers hours of his time helping out our students in the programming class because he noted the need for better programming skills among our students. Many have expressed their belief that they would not have passed the class without Zach’s hours of one-on-one tutoring.”

For Zach, teaching is just the next stop in the learning process.

“The best way to know that you have truly learned something is to be able to teach it. So I make sure to always be available to help my fellow classmates wherever and whenever I can,” he said. 

Outside of the classroom, Zach’s biggest rewards come from participating in robotics competitions as an ISC member. As executive editor and integrator, he reads, edits and integrates everyone’s code into the final project. He has competed in three competitions, earning a top-3 placement each time.

His willingness to help others makes him a natural leader on campus. He is president of Intelligent Systems Club, treasurer of Tau Beta Pi honor society and a member of Eta Kappa Nu honor society.

After he graduates in December 2013, Zach plans to work in the engineering field, focusing on programming, embedded systems and robotics.

But don’t expect him to stay out of the classroom for long. Long-term, he hopes to earn his doctorate so that he can teach and conduct research in a university setting.

“I can imagine no more honorable position than as a teacher,” he said, “sharing the knowledge I have gained throughout my life.”