PROJECT SHOWCASE WINNERS

Neumont College of Computer Science is pleased to announce the winners of the most recent Project Showcase held Friday, September 1, 2017.

"Project Showcase is a microcosm of what we do at Neumont," says Neumont College of Computer Science President Shaun McAlmont. "The event highlights students' tech creations and provides a look at the ingenuity coming from our students who are ultimately the STEM-leaders of the future."

"Gemetary" by Justin Furtado took home the Audience Choice Award, for his infinite-maze game set in a cemetery of gems, where players are tasked with collecting as many treasures as possible while avoiding spiders, skeletons and exploding tombstones.

Additional award winners included "Lost Light," the runner-up in the gaming category by Kyle St. Amant, and winner Shawn McCuistion for "System Failure." "Lost Light" challenges players to scavenge for better equipment to survive in a mysterious world. "System Failure" is a 3D first-person shooter where a player must navigate randomly populated rooms to survive.

The non-gaming category ended in a tie between "Wine & Dine" by Sophie Wargo and "Hearth" by Mary Schultz, Ben Goff and Ryan Stead. 

"Wine & Dine" is a web application that takes in a user's food preferences, then generates a meal to cook (complete with ingredients and recipe). It also suggests a wine to pair with the meal based on flavors. "Hearth" is a recipe-sharing application across web and Android platforms, where users can create, share, review, save and store their favorite recipes.

Neumont College of Computer Science focuses on being the leader in computer science education. At its Salt Lake Citycampus, Neumont offers bachelor's degrees in software and game development, computer information systems, technology management, and web design and development.

For more information about Project Showcase and Neumont College of Computer Science, visit www.neumont.edu.

NEUMONT FRESHMAN LAPTOP: DELL PRECISION 5520

Each year, Neumont College of Computer Science freshman receive a new laptop to use throughout their education. (And yes, it's yours to keep after graduation.) 

For the fall of 2017, Neumont's newest cohort will receive the Dell Precision 5520. This laptop is designed for working professionals and is portable, beautiful, and sturdy. Here are the specs on this machine:

• Processor Intel Core i7-7820HQ (Quad Core 2.90GHz, 3.90GHz Turbo, 8MB 45W, w/Intel HD Graphics 630)

• Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64bit

• Graphics Card Nvidia Quadro M1200 w/4GB GDDR5

• Display 15.6" UltraSharp™ UHD IGZO (3840x2160) Touch Wide View LED-backlit

• Memory 32GB, DDR4-2400MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS

• Hard Drive M.2 PCIe 512GB SSD Class 50 

• Wireless Intel WiFi Link 8265 Card (802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2), 2x2

• Primary Battery 6-cell (97Wh) Lithium Ion battery with ExpressCharge

• Optimizer Dell Precision Optimizer

Incoming freshmen will pick up their laptops at Freshman Orientation Kickoff on Friday, September 23 in downtown Salt Lake City. We'll see you there!

ENTERPRISE PROJECT PARTNERSHIPS

Each quarter, students in all five bachelor's degree programs at Neumont enroll in Enterprise Projects. These courses provide students with the opportunity to complete a project for a client company. The companies change every quarter with some companies providing multiple projects over time for students to hone their skills while other companies are looking to complete a single project and move on. 

For the summer of 2017, Neumont has eight Enterprise Projects with some great Industry Partners summarized below:

presents his Enterprise Project at Project Showcase. 

• DealerTrack: Summit Launcher is a DealerTrack project where students with knowledge of AngularJS, .NET Core, RESTful web services, and Amazon Web Services are building an internal tool for the integrated automotive dealership tech company. 

• Graduation Alliance: Students using Microsoft, .NET MVC5, MS SQL Server, and third-party frameworks like AngularJS, RabbitMQ, Redis, SignalR, and Webpack will create and test a content management system and modules for applications within "Voyager" (an online platform for career planning and education). Graduation Alliance offers online learning to help more students graduate from high school. 

• IGT: Using Unity, C#, MS Office Extensions, IGT Game SDK, and IGT Game Projects, game development students are creating a tool that allows engineers to drop a game rules document into Unity creating new game objects for every rule described. IGT creates lotteries, machine games, and social games. 

• PriorityDispatch: Students on this project are developing an event management application that will assist the company in planning professional conferences. The app is being built in ASP.NET MVC with Entity framework. 

• RizePoint: Students are continuing work to implement two Microsoft WSUS servers in separate environments. The students on this team are required to work on different projects across the company including a design update on the RizePoint app, developing automation tools for engineering, moving RizePoint to the cloud, and modernizing the back-end of their system. RizePoint offers quality management software. 

• Willis Towers Watson: The company is offering two different projects this quarter with one student team focusing on documentation of existing processes. They'll also create MS SQL systems and testing current systems. The second student team will work to document audits and client requirements. Willis Towers Watson offers management solutions to companies. 

• Tribal-D: The student team on this project is developing a mobile app for both iOS and Android that gathers data on remote offline devices syncing them to an existing database. A REST API will also be developed to connect with the mobile app. The app will allow users to collect notes as they work on cases. Students are expected to use C#, JavaScript, PhoneGap, Sencha Touch, MVC, Rest API, and more. Tribal-D and Tribe Vue provide Native American tribal leaders with technology and resources needed to help support their communities. 

• Voonami: Actually due to non-disclosure agreements, we can only tell you we have a project with them. Voonami provides data centers for companies to outsource their information systems infrastructure to. 

Through Enterprise Projects, students gain real-world, meaningful experience before they graduate. Students use the projects to establish a strong resume and the experience to shape their classroom knowledge into professional experience. All of this helps our students graduate ready to launch their careers in the tech industry. 

Can't wait to get real-world experience before you graduate with a bachelor's degree? Students accepted to the Class of 2020 must complete all of their financial aid steps by July 17, 2017. Check your status on the Accepted Student Portal to see what steps you have left. Students interested in attending Neumont in the fall of 2018, can start their Application for Admission now. 

Interested in participating in Enterprise Projects to see how our students fit into your company? Contact Neumont Director of Corporate Relations Britta Nelson to see what our students can do for you. 

THE KEY TO SUCCESS FOR NEUMONT ALUMNI

It's no secret, we're proud of our alumni and their successes. From the grads who go on to high profile jobs at companies like Amazon, Tesla, and Google, to the grads who develop their own games, and the grads who start their own companies, we love hearing about our graduates successful careers in technology. A degree from Neumont will help you launch your career in tech.

The success of our graduates is one of the most important things to us. That's why we provide a project-based curriculum focused on giving you the real-world experience you need to launch your career in technology. 

After all, what good is a college education if it doesn't start your career? College is one of the most substantial investments you'll ever make in time and money--we think it should pay off for years to come. To help you see a strong return on investment, you'll take career development courses and classes designed with input from industry partners like Oracle, Microsoft, and IBM. 

You'll have the technical foundation and teamwork skills needed to take you from college grad to successful professional. Since 2013, 77% of Neumont University graduates accepted a job offer before they even graduated.* Join the tech elite, and enjoy results like these. 

To secure your place among the tech elite at Neumont, complete your Enrollment Agreement on the Accepted Student Portal by May 8, 2017. 

Not yet accepted to start classes this fall? Complete your Application for Admission along with application fee or fee waiver, transcripts, and test scores as soon as possible at www.neumont.edu/apply. 

*Employment statistic is calculated using data from the 232 Neumont University graduates from 2013 through 2015. Of those graduates, 179 gained employment in their field of study before graduation. Neumont verifies employment and date of employment offer by employers in writing. Neumont does not guarantee employment for future graduates.

A MESSAGE FROM NEUMONT'S PRESIDENT

As we prepare to open our campus and classroom this weekend to prospective students and their families, I wanted to take a moment and address the unique situation Neumont University is in with changes and opportunities both inside and outside our campus. 

I want to note a few of the many accomplishments we should be celebrating. Our student outcomes continue to impress. With offers coming in from across the country, many of our upcoming graduates have already signed offers with companies from Google to Hewlett-Packard to Axxess and more. Six of our Enterprise Partners have also extended offers to students, illustrating the value of Neumont’s formula for career-ready graduates.

Our faculty is key to preparing our students for success after graduation. I wish to congratulate Aaron Reed, chief operating and academic officer, on receiving his doctorate this past fall. I'm also delighted to welcome Kellie Thompson to Neumont. She is the first female chair of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree and joins the faculty with more than two decades of experience and teaching in the computer science field. I would also like to welcome Dr. Kevin Erickson who is currently teaching Decision Support Systems and Server Administration I & II. He has worked in the IT industry for the past 17 years and holds a Ph.D. in cyber security. Additionally, please welcome Jason Hammon who graduated and worked at Harvard University before completing a computer science teaching fellowship at Google. He now joins the Neumont team where he will develop online courses to help increase our offerings. 

Even with all this to celebrate, there is uncertainty. Changes in our country’s leadership have also meant changes to the administration at the Department of Education.
 
As I mentioned last fall, our current accreditor (ACICS) can no longer accredit institutions of higher education. However, because of Neumont's good standing, the Department of Education has granted the university temporary accreditation while the institution transitions to a new accreditor. ACICS’ status is currently working its way through the court system and what seemed to be a “final decision” may not be so final. Their future is uncertain. 

The good news in all this is that Neumont is officially considered “in process” with a new accreditor (as defined by the Department of Education). Staff and faculty are now at the critical stage of submitting a self-evaluation report.
 
The accreditation process notwithstanding, we remain laser-focused on student performance and outcomes; employer needs; and industry-proven curriculum.

I hope you will join me this weekend in welcoming new faces and families to see the best of Neumont. 

I CHOSE NEUMONT

Neumont is a big choice with even bigger results. And we want to highlight the individuals who choose to join the Neumont community. The students, alumni, staff, faculty, and parents who make up our small community both online and in-person. We know choosing the right college can be daunting, but every year we're honored with new students and their families who choose us. 

We've heard some amazing stories, like Communications Instructor Jeremiah Harrison who's father pushed him to finish his master's degree. And now he teaches our students here helping them to change their lives and create a better future. 

And Computer Science Instructor Josh Krebs who graduated from Neumont, worked in the tech industry, and returned to the college to teach because he helping students learn and grow is one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. 

We also heard from Interim Computer Science Instruct Matt Warner who came to Neumont five years ago after more than 10 years in the industry. He says, "I see the classroom as a conversation between myself and whoever else is in the classroom. Education is a path that we walk together." He enjoys helping students understand technology and seeing them use their knowledge, skills, and experience to transform their lives. 

We've been delighted, humbled, awed, and amused by the stories coming in across social media as students, alumni, and parents share why they chose Neumont. We hope to continue to see your stories online and hear them in person. Thank you for being a part of what makes the Neumont community a special place. 

2017 CAPSTONE PROJECT INVITATIONAL WINNERS

Neumont University, a university offering bachelor’s degrees in computer science and related fields, congratulates Tyler Berry and Kyle Kacprzynski as the winners of the university’s Capstone Project Invitational held on Friday, January 13 at the Salt Lake City Public Library in downtown. The two winners were chosen from five finalists out of more than 40 projects. 

The Industry Award went to Kyle Kacprzynski (Cleveland, Ohio) who created “Mydi MIDI”— a live sheet music composer application that can utilize a computer keyboard and speakers or a USB-enabled MIDI keyboard. Kacprzynski will graduate from Neumont this spring with a bachelor’s degree in web design and development.

Tyler Berry (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took home the Alumni Choice Award for “NU Code”— a competitive coding challenge website (think “Code Wars”) which compiles and executes code remotely. Berry will graduate from Neumont in March 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He plans to start his tech career as a software engineer at Google in September. 

“Capstone is a senior project on steroids,” said Dr. Aaron Reed, chief operating and academic officer, “and perhaps the most intense and rewarding individual component of Neumont’s curriculum.”

In capstone projects, students imagine and develop a project from the ground up in 10 weeks on their own. By completing their capstone project, students prove they are ready to begin the pinnacle of Neumont’s project-based experience: Enterprise projects where teams of students work with industry-leading companies on enterprise-level projects. 

“Our Capstone Project Invitational is an opportunity to showcase the best-of-the-best of our students’ creative and problem-solving acumen,” President Shaun McAlmont explained. 

According to McAlmont, “This endeavor to create, build and fully execute at this level of competency is a fundamental piece of Neumont’s project-based learning curriculum and why Neumont graduates have the successful outcomes they do year after year.” He said referring to the 97 percent of Neumont graduates are employed in the field of computer science within six months of graduation with an average starting salary of $63,000.

Neumont offers Bachelor of Science degrees in computer science and related disciplines in three years. Neumont was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2003 to fill the growing national demand for industry-ready technology professionals by offering an accelerated degree that immerses students in a rigorous, project-based curriculum.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

In Katie's final quarter as a Neumont University freshman, she agreed to spend a few days filming the typical things she does as an aspiring game developer. Her friends and roommates were up to the challenge, and they shared with us footage from a few different days. 

Katie then edited all of the footage together into a quick video to share what it's like to live a day as an NU student in Salt Lake City, Utah. Katie is from a small town in northern California where she graduated from high school as valedictorian. She now vlogs about her adventures as a software and game development student in Utah as KatieFoo32. You can check out her channel here. 

Thank you Katie, Mary, and the rest of the crew for sharing your day with us! 

CAREER WEEK IMPORTANCE

Each quarter at Neumont University, Career Services hosts a "Career Week." And like so many other things Neumont, we do things differently. Career Week typically consists of several smaller events. Tech Talks are held each day at 12 p.m. in Room 323, interviews take place on campus every day, and networking events. 

Tech Talks

Students are encouraged to attend presentations, or Tech Talks, where representatives (usually a software developer and hiring manager) share what it's like to work at their company and the kinds of talent and skills they are looking to hire. NU's Industry Partners also buy lunch for the students who attend the event and often stick around to get to know students one-on-one after the presentation. Over the years, we've had Tech Talks from Google, Obsidian, 3M, EA, Activision, 1-800 Contacts, Oracle, and more. 

For a complete schedule of this week's Tech Talks, check out our Facebook page. 

Interviews

Throughout the quarter, but with particular emphasis on Career Week, you'll find students interviewing in offices around campus. Freshman have transformed from nervous teens to confident young adults sharing their skills with potential employers. And because our grads go on to work across the country, they often interview online too. 

Students are prepared for their interviews through a series of professional development courses and coaching from Career Services staff. 

Networking Events

An Industry Partner i.e. employer of Neumont grads may choose to host a small informal gathering in the evening to get to know students in a more casual environment. Typically, these events are held in The Commons and are open to everyone.

FINALIZE YOUR SPOT

On Monday, August 1, Neumont University's Class of 2019 will complete some of the last steps needed to finalize their seats (and laptops) on campus this coming September. The final steps include:

Completing Financial Aid. Students will need to finalize their payment plan for college after submitting a FAFSA and Financial Aid Application. Our Office of Financial Aid works closely with every student to ensure all scholarships, grants, and loans are complete. 

Registering for Student  Housing. All freshman students at Neumont are required to live in university-sponsored housing for their first four quarters of attendance (unless an exemption is granted by the Dean of Students). Freshman must complete a housing application to help us learn more about you and pair you with your future roommates and pay a housing deposit to hold your apartment. Housing Move-in is Friday, September 16. You will receive your housing assignment and roommate information in mid-August. 

Submit Final Official Transcripts. Now that freshman have completed high school, it's time to submit official transcripts. These must be mailed to: 

Neumont University
Office of Admissions: Records
143 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

RSVP for Freshman Orientation: Now that everything else is complete, freshmen need to let us know they (and their parent(s) or guardian(s)) will be joining us on Saturday, September 17 for Orientation Kickoff. At this event, freshman will receive their laptop and books. Additionally, it's a time for students and their families to hear an overview of Neumont University, including resources that are available to help students succeed. 

Complete all of these steps on the Accepted Student Portal. If you need any help at all or would like to request an extension on the deadline, please contact your Admissions Officer. 

Once all of these steps are completed, future freshman can relax, kickback and enjoy the rest of their summer. We'll see you in September!

UNIFIED STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Here at Neumont University we pride ourselves on our small, close-knit community. Staff and faculty strive to ensure every student is supported during their time here so that you can graduate on time and get hired in the tech industry. One of the key groups, staff and faculty discuss current student issues with is the Unified Student Government. 

The group is elected by their peers. They meet weekly to discuss issues on campus and ways Neumont University can be improved. USG is responsible for implementing new policy and procedures that impacts every students experience here. The organization has the final vote on all clubs and organizations that are formed at Neumont in addition to providing feedback to academics and student life. 

Currently, we are seeking to reboot USG and filling all positions. This means it's your opportunity to run for office and make Neumont a better place.

The application process for the executive team has closed. Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates run separately. This week Dani Meyer, Jordan Slaven, and John Ngo will campaign for president. Meanwhile, Shane Roleaux, Daniel Nostrom, and Sai Dilip Ponnoaganti will campaign for vice president. 

Students running for President and Vice President will present stump speeches in The Commons at 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 14. Voting for those positions will take place on Friday, July 15. The new President and Vice President will be announced on Monday.

We are currently accepting applications for students wishing to run for Senate positions. Senators represent each of the degree programs (two students representing computer science, two representing game dev, and so on). If you would like to run for Senate, you must submit an application to the Office of Student Affairs by Friday, July 15 at 5 p.m. To be eligible, you must collect at least 30 signatures from your peers supporting your bid for Senate. A senator can serve for an unlimited number of terms, each term is three quarters or one academic year. All students voted into office must be in good academic standing. 

Students who wish to apply to the Senate may contact Corrine or JP in the Office of Student Affairs for additional information. 

LEARNING STYLES

One of the features we most often get asked about is our year-round academic calendar. We strongly believe the best way to learn to code is to, well..., code. And one of the best ways to retain all that new information is to continually practice. Technology doesn't stop changing just because our students aren't in the classroom, and so we developed a year-round academic schedule to keep our students up-to-date on the latest tech. 

Summer time is the quintessential example of this philosophy in action. It's averaging 90 degrees outside and our students are in cool classrooms learning new skills Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get in, get out, get paid. It's a mantra we live by. 

One of the features we most often get asked about is our year-round academic calendar. We strongly believe the best way to learn to code is to, well..., code. And one of the best ways to retain all that new information is to continually practice. Technology doesn't stop changing just because our students aren't in the classroom, and so we developed a year-round academic schedule to keep our students up-to-date on the latest tech. 

Summer time is the quintessential example of this philosophy in action. It's averaging 90 degrees outside and our students are in cool classrooms learning new skills Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get in, get out, get paid. It's a mantra we live by.

Even better, this week we're trying something new and live-streaming one of our computer science classes. Tune in to our YouTube channel on Thursday, June 30 at 8 a.m. Mountain Time and watch Instructor Matt Warner teach a lesson on application development to our newest cohort of students. 

Keep calm and code on. 

IDEAL SETTING

At Neumont University, we're proud to call downtown Salt Lake City home. We love our convenient location with grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, shops, and more in walking distance. We make use of a convenient public transit system to get around downtown and around the valley. 

Every summer, Salt Lake City comes to live with festivals and free events. We're looking forward to Salt City Sounds, a free concert series, at the Gallivan Center with plenty of food truck options and some delish restaurants readily available during the Wednesday night event.

Following that up, is the Utah Arts Festival. This classic Salt Lake City event is a four-day celebration of art of all kinds. Best of all, admission is free all day Thursday, June 23.  Library Square is all dressed up for the days and nights of music, visual, and performance art. It's a great way to get inspired and take a break from your computer screen for awhile. 

Another music concert series, Twilight, takes the stage on August 21. Every Thursday for six weeks, you can hear amazing bands at Pioneer Park. Entry is just $5 and you can buy a $35 season ticket now. 

Finally, we would be remiss not to mention Salt Lake City's largest parade of the year--Pioneer Day. Yes, Utah has it's very own holiday to celebrate the state's earliest founders. Each year, the city gets together for a parade and festival through downtown Salt Lake City that is the culmination of a summer of celebration. You can find out more about all the details for the event at Days of '47. And please remember that Neumont University will be closed on Monday, July 25 in observance of this day.

These are just a few of the incredible events going on in Salt Lake City all the time. And we hope to see you there. 

But if crowds aren't your style, we've got some other ideas for how you can enjoy your summer in Salt Lake City. 

Biking the city is a great way to see neighborhoods you may not get to without some wheels. And the city has done a lot recently to make it more bike friendly. SLC Green Bike is especially useful for getting around downtown. 

If you have a car or are up for a walk, hiking is another great way to experience a Utah summer. You may even want to camp out in the Wasatch mountains over a weekend to beat the heat. We especially like the closeness of Ensign Peak (you can walk to the trailhead from campus) and Mill Creek Canyon (about a 20 minutes drive). Plenty more outdoors activities await you in Utah's incredible outdoors. Utah.com has a great roundup of some of the best hiking and biking trails around. 

And don't forget we have five national parks within a day's drive from Salt Lake City for the more adventurous outdoors person. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks are remarkable just a small sampling of the outdoor adventures our state has to offer with even more national monuments, forests, and recreation areas. The National Park Service has a complete listing of protected areas. 

KID CODE CON

Ten years ago, Utah Geek Events kicked off their first coding camp at Neumont University’s South Jordan campus. There were 50 adults that attended the session. A decade later, more than 700 attendees were taking part in another historic event: Kid Code Con at Neumont’s campus in downtown Salt Lake City, officially kicking off the Summer of Programming at the university. 

The event offerings included classes in Scratch, JavaScript, and Gamemaker for the eight to 18 crowd; as well as more basic classes to help build a foundation for future coders starting at just five years old. There was also a special parent session focused on better understanding Computer Science and how best to support young coders.

“As a mother of young girls, I thought it was wonderful to get an opportunity for them to get a chance to dig deeper into the STEM area,” said Jamie Moncur, who attended with her three daughters, ages three to eight. 

Sabrena Suite-Mangum, a Neumont employee said she was also elated to participate in Kids Code Con with her seven-year old son Holden.

“He started getting particularly interested in programming and computer science during last year’s Hour of Code. He kept asking when he would get attend a summer coding camp, but there’s not much offered for kids under age eight. The event was great way to keep fueling his interest in programming. I’m so grateful we attended.” 

Holden said he thought it was important to learn to code “so I can make video games when I grow up.” His mom recognizes it's the language of the future, and a skill set to be nurtured early. He attended the Lego session and the Electronics 101 class, lead by Copper Hills High Junior Cassandra Ivie, who has been recognized on a local and national level for her contributions robotics and STEM education For this session, participants used breadboard kits to show how circuits and LED lights work.

Eight-year old Cyrus Cheney, son of Neumont  UniversityEvent Coordinator Emily Cheney said, “I like that it was educational and fun. It’s important to do things like Kid Con because we learn different strategies to do different things.” 

His mother Emily added: "We had a fantastic time at Kid Con! I wish I had the opportunity to learn coding basics as a child." 

For the older participants, one of the event highlights was the Virtual Reality session. Pat Wright, President of Utah Geek Events and head of Kid Code Con said that more than 70 people chose to attend the morning session alone. One key factor was the Microst HoloLens. Only 1,000 have been made to date, and it lived up to the hype.

Wright said that while Utah Geek Events' Adult coding camps have expanded well beyond the capacity at Neumont, that the downtown spot was perfect for Kid Code Con.

“We have a long standing relationship with Neumont,” he explained. “It’s a great school. The project-based learning is what sets Neumont apart from every other university in the state. I tell parents, 'For my dollar, I’m most likely sending my daughter to Neumont because her best chance of getting hired is here.' ”

Utah Geek Events will host another Kid Code Con at Neumont University in August. Watch the news story on KUTV for more information. 

SCOTT FRIES

It may seem unusual that Scott Fries, a software and game development student from Clarksville, Tennessee, has never seen Star Wars, Star Trek Lord of the Rings, or other famous sci-fi/fantasy films that are fan favorites at Neumont University, but Scott has plenty in common with his colleagues. He shares his passion for figuring out how things work with students he tutors in the game development program.

Scott's passion for creating also won him the Industry Choice Award at Neumont University's Capstone Project Invitational. His project, The Balance Engine – Android, was written primarily in C++. He created the game engine to help other developers more easily create games for the untapped Android market. 

“I really enjoyed the amount of technical knowledge I had to teach myself throughout the project, he says. “Working with brand new systems and technologies was a really enjoyable and challenging experience.”         

NU: First off, how much programming experience did you have prior to coming to Neumont University?

SF: When I decided that I wanted to go to college for computer science during the start of my senior year, I started reading about some of the basic general concepts of computer science, but I had never programmed anything prior to attending Neumont.

 NU: What is your favorite programming language?

SF: Currently, my favorite programming language is definitely C++. I love the amount of control it gives you over what you’re doing, and how it lets you break everything if you make a mistake (or just want to as an experiment). It’s a language that forces you to learn everything about what you are doing - sometimes in the most chaotic way possible.

NU: What’s a project you’ve enjoyed most during your time at Neumont?

SF: The project I’ve enjoyed most, thus far, is my desktop game engine that I’m working on now. I really enjoy working on it, because it combines everything that I’ve learned into one major project, while giving me a lot of new topics to research and implement as well.

NU: What’s been the most surprising thing about your Neumont experience?

SF: It really surprises me how far I came out of my shell at Neumont. Prior to Neumont, I had fewer friends than I have fingers, and most all of them didn’t live in the same state as me. While at Neumont, I’ve made several great friends and have definitely improved my social skills more than I ever have been able to before.

NU: Tell us a tech trend you’re interested in and why.

SF: I’m really interested to see how virtual reality and wearable technology will evolve together. I think it will be incredible if we reach the point where you can be virtually anywhere by putting on a headset and sensors that allow you to utilize all of your senses through a computer.

NU: Finish this sentence, “While attending Neumont, I’ve experienced…”

SF: While attending Neumont, I’ve experienced a true challenge. I never enjoyed school prior to Neumont because none of the curriculum ever offered a challenge for me to overcome. While at Neumont, I’ve often been challenged by classes, and when I didn’t find them challenging enough, there was endless ways to add even more technical challenge to my workload.

NU: And looking to the future, what is your dream job? 

SF: Currently, I’m hoping to work at Blizzard Entertainment after I graduate, but my priority is working for a company that regularly challenges me, teaches me more, and requires that I continue teaching myself.