William Wardinsky

William Wardinsky
Major: Bioinformatics
Minor: Computer Science
Graduation Date: April 2024

I'm Will Wardinsky, and I'm from Houston, Texas! This will be my second year at BYU, and outside of class I'm either working in the Social Tech. and Privacy Lab, skiing at Sundance, or you can catch me at Cupbop. :)

What's one item on your bucket list? 
I'd love to go skiing in Japan!

What sparked your interest in your major? 
Healthcare is increasingly reliant on computer science techniques. With the COVID-19 pandemic, bioinformaticians played a significant role in getting us a vaccine, as they develop methods and software tools for understanding complex biological data. Maybe it's just a pipe dream, but I want to be involved in that process someday. My education here at BYU is crucial to that dream.

What's the best-kept secret at BYU? Why? 
Only us Honors students would know, but definitely the Maeser Building's bathrooms. They're so fancy and always super clean!

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self? 
Don't try to fit in a mold! I've found that by exploring different fields and career paths, I've learned so much and developed lasting relationships with people. It's also provided me great mentorship opportunities.

All modesty aside, what are you better at than 90% of people?
Definitely skiing, which is ironic considering I grew up in Texas! I spent a lot of time up at Sundance last winter, and really made it a goal to improve my skiing, which I can confidently say I accomplished. Nothing beats a black diamond on a powder day!

 Why did you decide to join the Honors Program?
Honestly, I got roped in by my older sister, Danielle Hallows. She sold me on the Honors Program and convinced me I'd learn many different perspectives, which is already holding true. Without seeing the breadth of other fields and making unexpected connections, I probably wouldn't be working in Autism and Social Media research for Dr. Xinru Page in the CS Department.

What has been your favorite part of your Honors experience?
Winter 2021 I took Honors 290 with Dr. Matthew Bekker and Dean Duncan - If I don't already talk enough about skiing, I got to write multiple essays about my experiences on the slopes!

What is your next step in Honors?
This fall I'm taking Honors 290 from Dr. Natalie Blades and Marc Olivier, and I'm super psyched! If I'm going to be writing algorithms later in my coursework, I might as well have a creative take on it, right?