Alumni Spotlight Embracing the new age of technology I


n an era of device-tethered young people it is easy to dismiss personal technology as an alienating distraction


and the scourge of social development.


For two young BHS alumni this could not be further from the truth. Instead, experience tells them that access to technology is now part of growing up and can be both embraced and integrated into a balanced life.


Best friends since the age of eleven, Emmanuel Smith and Alex Thompson have always shared a passion for computers, video games and television. These interests have transformed into burgeoning careers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the study of outer space, respectively.


“The depth and detail put into computer software fascinates me,” says Emmanuel. “I admire the fidelity of virtual worlds and the artificial characters within them. Being the sort of adolescent who took apart electronics, I would stop and wonder, ‘How did they do it’?” That curiosity lead Emmanuel to the


realisation that in order to create new software he would need a computer – so he built one, from scratch. From there he taught himself computer programming over the Internet. “To this day I don’t know how I finished that build, especially given how easy it was to buy incompatible parts at the time.”


Meanwhile, Alex says technology helped him both understand the world around him and explore completely new worlds: “Growing up, TV showed me the world through the eyes of different people. Some shows taught me moral and ethical frameworks and others gave voice to social constructs I had caught glimpses of, but hadn’t yet quantified into a concise idea. Some just helped me empathise with radically different viewpoints. “Video games taught me how to look at a system and find out how it works. The best of them incentivised me to come up with creative solutions to problems.”


24 Torchbearer Spring 2018


Friendly future: Alex Thompson ‘10 (left) and Emmanuel Smith ‘10 (right) both work at the leading edge of science and technology, inspired by youthful interactions with computers, video games and television.


“The best (video games) incentivised me to come up with creative solutions to problems.”


In fact, Alex says, “There is a lot of work being done” to use the characteristics of video games in ways that will enhance education. “Video games have a great grasp on incentive structures, and when they are aimed towards productive goals, education becomes self-sustaining.” Yet despite the attraction to, and aptitude for, technology, both Emmanuel


and Alex have an appreciation for participating in a wider array of activities. It is a perspective that was encouraged by their parents.


“A lot of people have this misconception that we should restrict technological interactions,” says Emmanuel. “This comes from the idea that these devices have the capability to consume and diminish other aspects of life. It’s not so much about the time spent on the devices themselves, it’s how we use them during that time.


“All that being said, my mother always encouraged me to pursue other activities such as running, horseback riding, and dance; all quite far removed from my natural inclinations. Those activities challenged me in different ways, helping me to understand my capabilities.” The same was true for Alex when


growing up.


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