At first glance, a double major in Computer Technology and Information Systems (CTIS) and Music seem like opposite extremes. But Axel Sandoval-Pineda ’24 found so many common themes and connections between the two that he ended up turning his double major into a senior thesis.

“I realized that through these classes I was learning the language of two new instruments, the guitar and the computer,” Axel says. “I’m graduating from Guilford with the ability to read and understand music, as well as the ability to understand and program computers, both types of languages even if they’re not spoken like English or Spanish.”

Axel’s time at Guilford has been full of new experiences and adventure. As the first in his family to attend college, he came not knowing what to expect, just confident that he was doing what was right for his future. An independent person with plenty of motivation to work hard, Axel set to work figuring out his path. He tried a few different classes along the way, originally majoring in business and switching to physics before finding his true passion in computers. “I’m really good at learning languages, it’s fun for me, and learning coding is a lot like learning a new language,” Axel says.

But computers aren’t Axel’s only passion. He had always wanted to learn to play the guitar, and when he talked about that dream with one of his professors, Charles A. Dana Professor of Music Kami Rowan, she floated the idea of a double major. Music was a creative outlet for Axel, and provided the balance he needed in his academic studies.

As much as Axel would love to make a living playing guitar, he realized he needed to look for something more stable after graduation. He took advantage of the resources available to him as a Golden Door Scholar to find an internship the summer after his sophomore year at Bank of America in Charlotte. He loved the work, so when they offered him not only to come back the next summer as an intern but also gave him the option of a full-time job after graduation, he jumped at the chance.

In his new career as a software engineer, Axel will be able to use what he learned as a CTIS major at Guilford to improve systems and operations at Bank of America. “Guilford gave me a lot of hands-on experience, but also discussion of theories that have been helpful in the work I do as a software engineer,” Axel says.