Anton Kovalyov

Name Anton Kovalyov
Age: 24
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada 

Why UTRGV?
I was offered a scholarship for chess, plus I thought it would be interesting to study in a city where most people speak both English and Spanish, since I also speak both of those languages. 

What made you decide on your current major?
Most chess players I know that are not much into chess anymore, choose computer science as a major, so I just want to be popular too…But to be serious, I am interested in programming because, in a way, it can be considered art because every programmer has his own signature and style. Also, once a project is finished and it actually works in an efficient way, one feels some kind of joy and appreciation for the work done. 

What are your plans after graduation?
I’m not the kind of person that looks far in the future, especially when having seen how unexpected life can sometimes be. I am still quite young and foolish and, thus, I’m prone to change my mind about things often. For the moment I can only say that my main goal is graduating and learning as much as I can.  I still have more than one year left, so once I am closer to graduating I believe I will have a better feedback on what I will be doing next. 

What are you involved in on and off campus?
For the moment it’s just school and chess for me. I am a member of the UTRGV Chess Team. We practice every week and travel to compete so that takes my time.” 

What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
Being the most modest person on earth!  

What advice do you have for future students?
I might have good grades but still I’m nobody to give advice to future students. I’m quite irresponsible; I leave things for the last moment to the point that some days I don’t sleep while finishing my homework or preparing for exams.  So, in other words, I’m like most other students who lack discipline, and I think discipline is the key to a successful academic life.