When I reflect on my two years at Mercy College, I feel that the experience not only made me a great engineer, but it also exposed me to many different experiences I would have never had the opportunity. From attending multiple STEM camps in the summer to tutoring Java classes each semester, I learned valuable lessons from both professors and students alike. I always felt challenged whether working on a project for a class or spending endless hours pouring my heart into the Cybersecurity competition. It was not just the classroom where I was learning, but from all my fellow peers around me. Some of my closest friends were made at Mercy College and I wouldn’t know where I’d be today without them.

Mercy College shaped me into what I wanted to be when I graduated. Someone who doesn’t give up when times get tough. I learned to balance attending classes, tutoring two different programming classes, being a STEM peer mentor for new students, and working a part-time job outside of school. On top of all this, I spent countless hours working with the wonderful people at career services, lining up interviews and perfecting my resume.

To all my classmates and new students alike in the Cybersecurity program, I have a few helpful tips to make your experience the best it can be at Mercy College.

First and foremost, I strongly urge each and every one of you to set-up a meeting with career services ASAP. I cannot stress this enough how important this is. Mercy College’s career services are outstanding and will provide you with some of the best support when it comes to finding a job. Even if it’s your first semester and you feel you don’t have enough experience to get an internship or job, you should still set-up a meeting. They can help make your resume look as professional as someone with 10+ years of experience. First impressions are always the most important.

Secondly I recommend you network with everyone around you including your professors. Everyone is always saying finding your first job is like winning the lottery. The best way to improve those odds is to make connections with your peers. You never know when one of them may have the winning ticket you need. A great example of this goes back to those STEM camps I attended over the summer. By attending these camps, I exposed myself to people I would have never met. This is how I got both part-time jobs as a STEM Peer Mentor and STEM Peer Leader. Never underestimate how strong networking can be towards your future.

This follows up into my final recommendation. Just be nice to the people around you and always be welcoming to new students. I see so many people who just stick with a small niche of friends/peers and never expand their circles. Like I said connections matter and you never know one of them could be your colleague or even your boss one day.

I hope some of this advice will prove useful to some of you. I wish you the best of luck and never give up on your dreams.

I will never forget my experiences at Mercy College and will always be grateful for everything this school has done for me.

Thank you Mercy College.