Gibson has been working as an information technology intern at CPI. The company’s main focus is offering a wide range of services and products that help farmers optimize their operations and improve yields.

His typical day as an IT intern involves helping with minor to major network and technology issues. Gibson is involved in operations such as setting up printers across locations to use their built-in document scanners to directly email employees using what is called a simple mail transfer protocol relay.

This protocol provides the scanners with email capability that makes it easier to scan and retrieve documents by allowing the user to scan directly to their email of choice. This method is quick and efficient in a way that is also user-friendly.

The project took four days to execute and Gibson faced challenges during the project.

“Although it took four days to complete, it required a lot of trial and error to individually get the printers working correctly for all employees and locations. Effective communication with each location’s employees was crucial in understanding the issues and finding a solution, ultimately making the process less time-consuming,” said Gibson, who is from Nassau, the Bahamas.

For Gibson, IT is just the starting point in his technology career. Understanding how certain software affects the people he helps is closely tied to the interpersonal skills he values highly.

“Connecting with people on a personal level and learning about their issues that need solving make the job easier to do. To me, communicating is a self-improving learning experience for developing soft skills, simply by meeting more people and being able to connect with them,” Gibson said.

Before starting his internship at CPI, Gibson wasn’t a stranger to communicating and helping others as he worked at the �㽶��Ƶ IT helpdesk in Hazelrigg Student Union. He helped students and faculty with anything technology-related.

Once his internship began, the work environment shifted to constant interaction with coworkers throughout the CPI office where he works.

“I see these people every day. It’s an adjustment that I am not handling student and faculty concerns so the interpersonal skills mixed with the agricultural community are much different — it’s a bit more personal than I am used to,” he said.

Aside from strengthening his interpersonal skills at CPI, he said courses at �㽶��Ƶ helped him continue his passion for IT. He said mathematics professors Dr. David Cooke, Dr. Bobbi Buchholz, and the now retired Dr. John Schneider showed him the ins and outs of database fundamentals and what data looks like with cyber security and monitoring.

Reflecting on the experiences gained at CPI, Gibson said he aims to continue providing excellent customer service to people he encounters. As he approaches his senior year, he looks forward to resuming his internship at CPI and, ultimately, hopes to work in IT at a firm or tech company.

By Cecilia Velarde, a senior marketing and communication studies double major from Loveland, Colorado

�㽶��Ƶ, where class sizes are small and the student to faculty ratio is about 13 to 1, suited him perfectly. He found professors who were there for him every step of the way, and a culture that helped him excel.

Scoular is an employee-owned, $9 billion global agribusiness company that buys, sells, stores, handles and processes grain and ingredients. It employs 1,400 people in more than 100 offices and facilities in North America and Asia.

Egr, who is majoring in business administration and computer science, was looking for an internship where he could interact with colleagues, gain experience in code and do more than sit at a computer all day.

He found Scoular as an option, and the �㽶��Ƶ Career Services office gave him a reserved conference room for the interviews. They also helped prepare him with interview questions so he would feel more comfortable.

The workload for Egr includes multiple small projects throughout the week and attending meetings with his supervisors, internet technology teams and web design teams. Egr’s latest tasks have been working on two large coding projects.

“The first project is working with Power Apps also known as Microsoft Power Apps, for the environment safety department. So I build the forms and tables that will take all the data and only be visible to the environmental safety supervisor,” Egr said.

His second project involves data mapping for trucking dispatch. “I am trying to recode the old dispatch system and organize it by file so it’s easier to utilize,” Egr said.

Egr said math and computer science professor Dr. David Cooke’s coding courses and math professor Dr. John Schneider’s web development classes helped him get familiar with code, how to read it and how to understand the structures of low-code environments. Egr also credits his football coaches for teaching him about accountability and teamwork, which he applies daily.

Egr said he plans to contact Scoular again next spring for any opportunities to return to the company.

“Because of the environment of the office members and the real-world experience I’m gaining at Scoular, I want to come back next summer to work for another department,” said Egr. “I want to broaden my horizon in the field of coding because when I work here at Scoular they treat me like any other employee, not just an intern.”

By Cecilia Velarde, a junior marketing and communication studies double major from Loveland, Colorado

Brian Kloppenborg ’06 credits �㽶��Ƶ math and computer science professor Dr. Mark Hall for saving his career.

After graduating from �㽶��Ƶ with a major in physics and minors in math and computer science, Kloppenborg entered graduate school with the aspiration of becoming an astrophysicist. After one year of demanding coursework, his first attempt at the Ph.D. qualifying exam came up short.

With his dream seeming dissolving before his eyes, he called upon his mentor, who inspired him to “ignore the ridicule that comes with such an event, put my nose in the books and do what I needed to do to be successful.” Over the next year, Kloppenborg followed the advice and not only passed his second attempt at the qualifying exam, but also produced his department’s first publication in the prestigious scientific journal “Nature.”

“If it weren’t for Mark’s thoughtful advice, I probably would have ended my graduate career,” Kloppenborg said. “If I could go back and thank him for one thing, it would be that single conversation.”

Kloppenborg’s story is just one of dozens that demonstrate how Hall bettered the lives of his students during his 21-year career as Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. Those student success stories are part of the lasting legacy Hall leaves behind as he retires this spring.

An unexpected hire

Hall began teaching at �㽶��Ƶ in 2001 after working for a decade at institutions in Thailand. He had moved to Bangkok in 1991 with his wife, Ju, an international student who studied in the U.S. on a scholarship that required her to return to Thailand and teach for several years.

His return to the States is “a rather interesting story,” he said.

“When we decided it would be good to come back to the U.S., I applied for jobs. But I did not apply to �㽶��Ƶ,” Hall said. “In fact, �㽶��Ƶ was not advertising a position in math at the time.”

Instead, he applied to Wesleyan College but was turned down because he didn’t have a master’s degree in computer science.

Months later, �㽶��Ƶ received a last-minute notice that one of their math and computer sciences professors decided to take a job in industry. They posted the position but struggled to find someone.

“They were really getting really worried,” Hall said. “Then, the mathematics department chair from Hastings went to a conference and met the department chair from Weslayan. The Hastings professor told him about their hiring challenges, and the Wesleyan chair suggested they contact me.”

The match worked for Hall and the college, and Hall decided to stay long-term because “I felt like I just fit in well,” he said.

‘Absolutely excellent educator’

It takes a certain level of a nerdiness to mesh with an academic mathematics department, but Hall’s personality works well for the task. He’s a soft spoken, deep listener who takes time to think before he responds — though he’s no stranger to cracking a geeky joke when the mood strikes.

“He’s somebody you’d expect to be among the leading cast of the show ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ not only due to his intellect but also his ability to connect with real people,” Kloppenborg said.

Those traits served Hall well in the classroom, where he aimed to meet every student at their level. He wasn’t afraid to slow down a lesson or double back on a concept if he noticed his students looking confused.

Kloppenborg recalled a programming class where, after discovering students just weren’t picking up the programming language, Hall abandoned the textbook and wrote a completely new lesson from scratch.

“He tried again and again and again to help us understand how it actually worked. In the end, we just didn’t get it,” Kloppenborg said. “His plan wasn’t working, so he took the feedback and adapted in real time. That’s a very clear indication of an absolutely excellent educator.”

Hall approached math and computer science — two fields often feared by students for their rigor and challenge — as anything but frightening.

“A lot of students who start computer science drop off after that intro to computer science class. Either they are intimidated by the code or all the moving parts,” said Alex Eisele ’15, who majored in computer science. “With Dr. Hall, I never got that feeling. He didn’t make it feel like it’d be a huge mountain to climb.”

Gratified by student success

Hall kept an open door policy, and he welcomed students over lunch to work through lessons. Thu Nguyen ’19 used many of those lunch sessions to independently study abstract algebra.

“I met with him two times a week to cover those materials, and he’d give me a lecture. While he was talking, he’d write notes down for me. I still have those notes today,” Nguyen said. “At times when I feel lost, I look at them and think, ‘Dr. Hall spent a lot of time and effort to help me. I can’t choose to give up now.’”

Nguyen enrolled at �㽶��Ƶ as an international student from Vietnam. She said Hall’s experience teaching in another Asian country helped her feel more comfortable and confident. Outside of class, they traded tips for where to find the best Thai and Vietnamese food in Nebraska.

Now, she is on track to complete her masters in mathematics this year. She plans to follow Hall’s footsteps and teach.

“He gave me the confidence that I could achieve my goals, that I could go further in my career,” she said. “I wish there were more professors like him around the world. He would help his students to not only get the degree but to feel confident, which is something you can bring to your whole life.”

Eisele also said the lessons he learned from Hall benefited him long after he graduated from �㽶��Ƶ. Whether computer science skills or simply a humbled outlook on life, Hall changed the way Eisele approached his career.

“Within math and computer science, he taught me how to focus on writing code at a higher level. Learning the bigger picture has helped me think about writing code at an even higher level now,” Eisele said. “Beyond that, he helped me realize that it’s important to be humble about your strengths and your weaknesses. I don’t think he explicitly said that, but I just understood it by watching the way he carried himself.”

Now a software developer for Goldman Sachs and member of the �㽶��Ƶ Board of Trustees, Eisele said Hall’s mentorship “really gave me the fundamental foundation I needed to perform well on the job.” Eisele said he stays in touch with Hall, often grabbing lunch with his former professor when he visits his alma mater. He still remembers the little ways Hall worked to make his students feel comfortable, because he cared about them on a personal level.

“Every test day we had with him, he would bring in these green candies from Thailand. Every time I see them now, I attribute those to him,” Eisele said. “These days, we don’t talk much about school anymore. We just catch up about our lives.”

Student success stories like Eisele’s, Nguyen’s and Kloppenborg’s represent the most rewarding part of the last two decades for Hall. He said he finds a lot of gratification in watching students learn and grow.

“That really makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I’m doing something useful,” he said.

His mentorship and caring for his students did not go without recognition. In 2008 and 2014, he received the Faculty Achievement Award, which honored his demonstrated achievement in teaching and was based on nominations from students, faculty and staff.

In retirement, Hall said he and Ju plan to stay in Hastings. They’ll expand their vegetable garden, and he’ll take on projects around the house, including some small woodworking tasks. They also plan to make frequent visits to family and friends in Thailand, and hope to visit their son, Kris, in Austin, Texas, more frequently, too.

“Now that we have more flexible schedules, we can actually spend a few months every year there,” he said. “And it actually works out very, very nicely because Thailand is in the tropics, which means in the winter when it’s snowing here, it’s rather pleasant there.”

By Mallory Gruben ’18

Some students spend months searching for the opportunity that will give them real world experience, networking and pieces to add to their portfolio. For seniors Avery Muff and Christian Hessler, the Corning Museum of Glass, an internationally renowned glass museum in Corning, New York, proved to be the perfect opportunity.

Muff, who grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, is a philosophy and studio art double major with an emphasis in glass blowing. His love of glass blowing only began during the summer of his junior year at �㽶��Ƶ. “I’ve had many interests, but glass blowing is it for me,” said Muff.

“I took a glass blowing class on a whim,” he said. “I was drawn to the elegance of the material and that made me curious about what it could do. Glass is a fascinating medium, with a fascinating history. Every time I gather glass out of the furnace, I’m lit up and motivated.”

Hessler, also a Hastings native, studies computer science and studio art. “I decided that glass was my medium because it was the only thing that occupied my mind,” he said. “It is the only thing that I’m excited about doing every time I do it. I love glass.”

The duo scored internships at the Corning Museum of Glass, where another �㽶��Ƶ graduate has worked for many summers, and made the 19 hour trip from Hastings to Corning in May 2021.

The job required Muff and Hessler to work five days a week perfecting their craft.

Primarily, the two were “on the floor” with three to four other artists for about 40 hours a week. Hessler explained that a typical workday included a rotating schedule.

“There’s a greeter who welcomes guests onto the floor to meet Avery or myself,” Hessler said. “Us as artists have 15 minutes with the guests where we’re sculpting ornaments and special projects, and then the process repeats itself.”

Over the course of 16 weeks, the pair adapted skills they call “The Corning Way” — which Muff explained means “you learn how to make a good sculpture every single time.”

Beyond the development of micro-skills needed to become a skilled glassblower, the two grew their network.

“You’re surrounded by a cohort of glassblowers, there’s flame working and you tend to see glassblowing in so many variations,” Muff said.

Hessler said when asked to work with others, “you don’t say no. You get your name out there, share skills and learn skills.”

Both artists said that the journey to Corning was made possible by the experiences they had at �㽶��Ƶ. For Muff it was a single class. For Hessler, it was a professor who saw his talent.

“Immediately after starting a beginner class,” Hessler said, “I felt this passion ignite and Tom Kreager, my professor then, saw that as well.”

Hessler said Kreager invited him to every one of his blow slots for gallery showings and it wasn’t until he saw his name in a pamphlet at a gallery that he realized he could pursue the technical skills required for glassblowing.

“I’ve developed so much as a glassblower,” he said. “You know something is for you when it doesn’t feel like work.”

By Kiante Stuart, a junior from Nassau, The Bahamas, majoring in communications studies, business administration and marketing.

Firespring is a marketing and printing company that provides integrated print, creative, website, software and IT solutions for a variety of nonprofits and businesses, including the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Lincoln Airport and CHI Health. Rodabaugh worked as software engineering intern for the Saint Baldrick’s Foundation engineering team. ��

“My job included writing code, understanding the business logic involved in working with our client and collaborating with team members to improve applications and fix bugs,” the computer science and business administration major said.

The position was excellent job preparation for Rodabaugh, who hopes to get a job as a full-fledged software engineer after he graduates from �㽶��Ƶ. He said his responsibilities were a direct reflection of the duties of a professional software engineer.

Culture: the key to success

In addition to gaining hands-on experience in his field, Rodabaugh’s internship also taught him about workplace culture. Firespring is deeply dedicated to creating a positive work culture. Their “informal” values statement reads, “We’re the type of people who love to work hard, play hard and everything in between. We rise to any occasion with a smile on our face, laugh at a challenge and laugh harder after dominating the task.”

Rodabaugh said the company holds steadfast to these values.

“The biggest difference-maker at Firespring is the way in which they preach and live by their company values,” Rodabaugh said. “Every person shows up to work every day to do their best work, and they really do care about the work they are doing and the people they work for.”

The Firespring work environment provides the opportunity for employees to hone in on their personal strengths while building off their teammates’ abilities. To generate creativity, the company houses amenities like the recreation room — complete with shuffleboard, foosball and table tennis — a massage table and the workplace slide.

The combination of supportive, skilled colleagues with the promise of recreation and relaxation reflects Firespring’s “work hard, play hard” mantra. This sets the company apart from most other businesses, which Rodabaugh viewed as an integral part of the Firespring community.

“I loved working in an environment where my bosses believed in the people they hired; it felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself,” he said. “At Firespring, they know if they bring in the right people and let those people use their strengths to help the company, then the company will thrive.”

Bronco culture creates opportunities

The Firespring culture was comparable to that of �㽶��Ƶ, Rodabaugh said. ��Much like Firespring, �㽶��Ƶ encourages its students to develop their talents to the fullest and combine their strengths with others through collaboration. The College also offers plenty of opportunities for recreation and relaxation through student activities and special weekend events. The deepest similarities, though, lie in the eclectic and talented mix of individuals in both places.

“Anytime I am asked what the best part of �㽶��Ƶ is, I always say the people are what make it,” he said. “That is definitely similar to Firespring.”

The people of �㽶��Ƶ have played an influential role in Rodabaugh’s journey as a software engineer. He said his peers and mentors at Hastings have connected him with job opportunities that prepared him for his future, including his one-of-a-kind experience at Firespring.

By Mallory Gruben, a senior from Eckley, Colorado, majoring in journalism

�㽶��Ƶ has partnered with Omaha-based ScoreVision to install a new state-of-the-art scoreboard in Lynn Farrell Arena—and pilot a new internship program. This summer, four �㽶��Ƶ students are exploring uncharted territory in scoreboard technology while applying their individual skills and interests.

Students Tyler Murphy, John Funkey, Landon Rodabaugh and Ben Scheef work closely with the leadership team at ScoreVision, a software company founded by Chad Bokowski, Gordon Whitten and David Sutter that creates a professional jumbotron-like scoreboard experience unlike any other. Whitten is a 1993 graduate of �㽶��Ƶ, and Sutter is a 1991 graduate.

Each student is working with a different facet of the company directed toward their area of interest—broadcasting, marketing, computer science and accounting. Yet they also work across the company to learn the tools and details about the �㽶��Ƶ board, while helping with other projects for ScoreVision.

“It’s not really a traditional internship. They get to learn something specific to career goals, but on another level. They learn about how the (ScoreVision) system works and how to maximize and leverage it, then teach others how to use it on campus,” said David Sutter, chief creative officer for ScoreVision.

The startup company is currently a small group, comprised of about 30 employees, ��including ten interns. But as Sutter says, they “work in an intimate, collaborative environment.”

Contributing their individual strengths

The capability that the interns have already shown goes beyond Sutter’s initial expectations, and the �㽶��Ƶ interns are doing critical work in their respective areas of expertise.

Murphy, from Simi Valley, California, has been using his broadcasting background to produce videos that will be played on ScoreVision screens during games or other events.

“I have been doing more in-depth video work beyond what I have done with news packages in the past,” Murphy said.

Funkey, a marketing student from Hastings, Nebraska, has been involved managing the company’s social media and writing copy, which requires him to come up with creative ideas and concepts with a fresh perspective.

“My main goal is to develop my writing skills to a higher level and build a foundation of skills while creating a marketing plan,” Funkey said.

Rodabaugh’s two biggest interests are sports and computers, and this internship brings the two together. ScoreVision is run by a score keeper iOS app, and Rodabaugh, from Casper, Wyoming, has been coding the product and designing what viewers see.

“When I come into problems, the leadership team is really involved. Corey Spitzer, lead software engineer, takes the time walking me through it instead of just telling me what to do. He’s helping me learn why it works,” Rodabaugh said.

Rodabaugh hopes to expand his knowledge and grow as a programmer, learn the languages and styles used here as well as all the different aspects of the program.

Scheef, from Wahoo, Nebraska, is performing data entry and research, which is critical work for the ScoreVision sales team. He meets with Whitten, ScoreVision’s CEO, periodically about business development, data and how to leverage the system.

A new era of technology

Though the internships will last throughout the summer, one part of the �㽶��Ƶ students’ work with ScoreVision comes to life in early July with the installation of new scoreboards on campus.

A 33-by-10 foot board, which is three times the standard size ScoreVision installs in high schools, will replace the current scoreboard in Lynn Farrell Arena. A smaller board is going in Kiewit Gymnasium. Both Hastings boards are underwritten by advertisers and donors.

The arena and gymnasium seemed like the perfect places to install ScoreVision boards since two of the company’s three founders are graduates of the college and have ties to Hastings. At the same time, �㽶��Ƶ was looking to replace its aging scoreboards. Sutter said the timing was perfect.

“We knew from the very beginning that we wanted our alma mater to have it; better yet, it has a prize factor as the first college to have one, as well as the largest indoor board we’ve installed,” Sutter said.

Though professionals will install the boards, interns will assist and learn how to maintain it and understand how the hardware is wired. On the software side, they will get into the guts of the system and learn the controls to operate the custom-made layouts for �㽶��Ƶ.

Hastings to thrive with ScoreVision

Sutter hopes that this added touch to �㽶��Ƶ will reach more than just athletics. “Students can get involved with business, broadcasting and art; it’s not just for athletes, but for everyone. Students can manage and create each production for school and community events,” he said.

According to Sutter, students will take what they have learned and have a planned approach to how they will teach others on campus. “They will be champions of ScoreVision for �㽶��Ƶ,” Sutter said.

Sutter said he hopes the visual impact will resonate with both the current community and future of the college.
“The aesthetic view has a ‘wow factor’ that can contribute to the image of �㽶��Ƶ, looking toward the future,” Murphy said.

By Jacilyn Bruns, a senior from Grand Island, Nebraska, majoring in Journalism

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“The application is meant to streamline the process of identifying current and potential prospects while also providing all the necessary information to maintain or form a new relationship,” said Bui, a junior at �㽶��Ƶ.

He said, “That will mark the first real-life application that I have launched: something that is sort of a rite of passage for programmers.”

A computer science major, Bui is interning as an application developer with Farm Credit Services of America, which is dedicated to serving the agricultural credit, risk management and financial needs of farmers and ranchers in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

At the start of the summer, the interns were divided into groups and sent to different locations.

“I resided in Omaha with the other developers and formed a team called Team Rocket,” said Bui. “Starting from just a database of information that Farm Credit Services collected, we are developing the backend server-side application program interface (API) and the front facing web application interface for a competitive intelligence web application.”

Each week brings a new leader, chosen on rotation within Team Rocket, to lead the team and decide what direction they are going on current tasks and new ideas.

By interning, Bui aims to become a better programmer. Not only does he have the chance to learn the programming languages and solve problems, but he is learning the bureaucratic procedures associated with any project, learning to take charge and how to adapt to one’s team.

“It has only been a month in and I have gotten a lot more than what I have expected. I have learned the process of planning, designing, developing and deploying a secure web-based application. Throughout my experience so far, I have learned how to better communicate my ideas and lead efficiently to achieve them with my teammates and other teams within the company.”

Due to the disciplined work habits he’s built as a student and member of the �㽶��Ƶ Help Desk staff, Bui feels he has been able to grasp new concepts and dynamic problems as they arise.

“Hastings provided me with the basic knowledge of programming and critical thinking necessary to adapt to real world conditions,” Bui said. “There are always gaps between the programming languages that are taught because of the sheer amount of them out there, but the basics, the conceptual thinking is similar throughout all of them.”

Although there have been challenges throughout the whole process of developing the new software, Bui claims that’s what makes coding fun.

�㽶��Ƶ graduates and mentors Alex Eisele and Creighton Leif were the ones to tell Bui about this internship opportunity. The year before, they, too, were interns at Farm Credit Services and shared their experiences with Bui.

Working as an application developer has given Bui the chance to explore different career options. His interests lie in database systems and other fields in the computer science world. As he moves toward graduation, he continues to welcome opportunities to explore new areas. For example, designing and creating have always been something Bui has craved.

He said, “Coding satisfies that craving by allowing me to pursue the craziest ideas. Breaking down my enjoyment of it to its base form, I suppose I also enjoy it because I like to problem solve. Every idea can be broken down into smaller problems and equally so with every big problem. Anything can be done.”��

By Amanda Miller, a senior from Woodland Park, Colorado majoring in journalism

Arduous application processes and interviews have paid off for �㽶��Ƶ senior Alex Eisele, who landed a position as a Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York City, starting in the summer. With a major in computer science and a minor in mathematics, Eisele interviewed with companies like Microsoft, Google, Cerner, Amazon, IBM and Garmin.

“My interest in programming/software development is driven by its foundation in problem-solving partnered with the creative aspect of build something from the ground up,” said Eisele. “I like making a product which presents me with new problems each day, not just repeating a process. I’m actually using my knowledge to make something new.”

After being contacted by a recruiter from Microsoft in September 2014, he was referred to Goldman Sachs, where his official job will begin in July. He will go through orientation for six weeks with all other analysts across various divisions at Goldman.

“I probably won’t learn a new technology right away, but rather trained on the specific technology practices within the Goldman Sachs engineering division for new technology analysts so we’ll be jumping into our respective teams prepared to handle the financial software needs of the firm,” said Eisele. “Unfortunately as with many junior developers across the industry, the new guys don’t get to work on anything cool or new. You’re there to maintain code that’s already written—which is okay, because that’s how you learn the ropes and know what the company is like.”

When considering where to apply for jobs, Eisele took location into serious consideration. “I had a couple offers from the Midwest but I definitely want to work in a tech hub of the country, which meant Silicon Valley in San Francisco, New York or Seattle so that’s where I was focusing my job applications,” he said. “It was really nice to get a job in one of the cities that has a booming software development community.”

He also spent a lot of time developing lists for companies based on what credentials he could meet and followed these criteria: a strong software division, Fortune 500 Company and the potential for a lot of learning. From there, he was able to decide where to apply that would benefit him most.

He showed a particular interest in Fortune 500 companies because “they’re usually the ones with the excellent software engineering divisions,” said Eisele. “Having a big company on your resume right off the bat is more valuable out of college right now, which allows you to pursue a startup once you have more experience.”

After going through 14 interviews, Eisele settled on Goldman Sachs. “Just looking at the potential and a company with the prestige of Goldman, I was not willing to pass that up for something else, and it has actually worked out well with interview season winding down now for computer science majors,” he said.

For the 2014-15 academic school year, Eisele has filled the position of Student Association President, helping to oversee different campus events and working to meet the needs of students.

Eisele said Goldman is a company that highly values leadership experience. “That is something they want all of their employees to understand well and embrace as they are an organization that leads and has a high level of prestige in the industry,” he said. “Having the highest profile leadership position at �㽶��Ƶ was certainly something that stood out and they pointed out in my interviews.”

He not only has experience leading the student body, he also works on a team providing quality customer service. Working at the �㽶��Ƶ IT Help Desk required Eisele to focus more on computer maintenance. “Because it was an entry point for me into a technology field and since it taught me so much I find it to be an important experience that has supplemented my development up to this point,” he said.

Eisele also worked with student and colleague Creighton Leif, in order to create an app for �㽶��Ƶ that could be used by students on both Apple and Android mobile phones. “Creating this app using the knowledge I’ve received from my Computer Science degree is what made me stand out to recruiters at Google, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM, in addition to Goldman,” he said. “This app not only diversified my programming experience but is also a project that taught me a great deal about responsibility, working with potential users on my own, meeting requirements and using technology to benefit others and their needs.”

By taking what he learned in the classroom and applying it to a personal project that greatly used today, Eisele said it helped him stand out in his interviews.

When he first started interviewing, Eisele said he prepared himself by reading books like the Algorithm Design Manual, which has information about algorithms and data structures. “Now that I’m on a team and have this position secured, I’ve been reading a book on software design patterns and software construction called Code Complete. It’s a really well-known book in the industry and it’s been around since 2004 but the content is still relevant to software today,” he said. “It’s really about designing software well and designing secure software.”

As an American multinational investment banking firm, one might wonder how software design is involved at Goldman Sachs.

“They need information and requests to be made very quickly because they need to keep up with the market, since they’re competing against other banks on Wall Street,” said Eisele. “Their engineers are working on software that is there to provide information to those financial analysts and traders, so that they can do their job efficiently. A lot of the software that they write is in-house and, comparatively, with the other major investment banks, Goldman’s has the largest ratio of technology-oriented employees, showing how much they value their Software Engineering Division.”

After visiting the company and seeing their team-based environment and going through the interviewing process with them, Eisele said it almost seems as if they are an investment bank that knows it is a software company.

Already considering the future, Eisele is searching for a place to live in Brooklyn. “I’m excited to move to New York,” he said. “I definitely want to move to and enjoy the big city while I’m young.”

By Amanda Miller, a junior from Woodland Park, Colorado, majoring in journalism

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