Post by Jonathan Pan

🌄 Most people aren’t thinking about 𝗣 = 𝗡𝗣? at 5 AM… but I kind of am. I'm ecstatic to share that this summer, I’m working part-time as a 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 at the Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) at 𝗨𝗖 𝗜𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲! It’s a hands-on role: re-racking weights, folding towels, sanitizing machines, and making sure the gym stays safe and welcoming, all before sunrise ☀️. As a Computer Science major, I’ve started to see gym operations as a giant real-world algorithm: 🔁 Re-stacking plates? That’s just Tower of Hanoi, recursive edition. 📍 Checking every machine efficiently? 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, reduced from Hamiltonian Path (shoutout to Prof. Schindler's 𝗖𝗦 𝟭𝟲𝟮).  📦 Organizing weights? Classic 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁.  ⏳ Minimizing rerack downtime? 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, with some 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘆 heuristics.  🤖 And yes, I’m diving into some serious 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 this summer… just not the kind that uses Python. I’m literally learning how every machine in the gym works. 🏋️ Along the way, I’ll also be tracking 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 & 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 daily. Though this time, it’s literal plates and how unevenly people rerack them. So… 𝗣 = 𝗡𝗣? Not sure yet. But if someone finds a way to prove it while optimizing towel folding and squat rack rotations, I might be the first to know. 💪🧠 Huge thanks to my friends, family, and mentors for all your support. I’m extremely grateful to be learning, growing, and lifting - mentally and physically -this summer. Feel free to reach out to me for a coffee chat or ask me about some career tips! #EmployedCSMajor #RipEmEaters #Eaters #UCI #AnteaterRec #WeightRoomAssistant #ComputerScience #PEqualsNP #TSP #HamiltonianPath #MachineScheduling #TowerOfHanoi #MergeSort #GreedyAlgorithms #Multithreading #NPComplete #LeetCodeInRealLife #SunriseShifts #StudentLife #Life