Written by Regina Ender
Using his gift as a software engineer, Gabriel Sanchez is putting God’s word at his community’s fingertips. Through an app he designed for Calvary Chapel El Monte, he connects his congregation to live stream of sermons, video studies, the weekly bulletin, and a devotional. It also includes the pastor’s blog, information about the church, a hub to connect to the church’s social media, directions to the church, a section to tithe, and access to a digital version of the entire Bible. With the app, Sanchez has helped his church family reach more people in the community, combining his knack for development with his desire for discipleship. After he graduates at the end of 2018 with his bachelor’s in Computer Science, he looks forward to pursuing a career where he can continue to minister through his work developing computer software.
On APU’s campus, Sanchez uses his skills as the lead technician in the Computer Science Lab. In his job, he continually practices his technique while helping ease his peer’s burdens and leading like-minded students with similar passions. As a transfer student from Rio Hondo College Sanchez says that his Department of Engineering and Computer Science, faculty, staff and classmates have become like family. Because of the mentorship of professors and the friendship of students, the relational culture of the of the Department of Engineering and Computer Science has helped Sanchez further hone his skill set and pushed him to be better.
Sanchez attributes his love of computers to his early teenage years when he began tinkering with software. When he was gifted a PlayStation Portable for his birthday, he learned to hack the gaming system to create his own “home-brew” software and started working to make his own games. This process of problem-solving hooked him on the creative and technical nature of coding and led him to major in Computer Science.
Words of Wisdom: “Keep honing your skills outside of the classroom. Classes will teach you the skills you need, but in the end, it is your responsibility to use those tools you have been given to master the skills you are going to need.”
