Dimitris Amiridis, Computer Engineering

“Earning the CEC Outstanding Senior Award is truly an honor and a reminder of the efforts I have made for my education, while still maintaining a balanced social and academic life. It brings back memories of working in empty labs at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, going to offices to understand a seemingly impossible assignment, or working through homework problems on an Honors College whiteboard.

I could not have gotten where I am without the help of some truly wonderful people. Professors like Dr. [Jeremiah] Shepherd with his entertaining lectures on data structures; Dr. [Jason] O’Kane with his incredible talent in making difficult topics in algorithm design much easier, and Dr. [Jason] Bakos with his thought provoking and career-inspiring projects in Advanced Logic Design. I’d also like to thank Dr. [Herbert] Ginn for giving me a chance to work in his lab related to the development of power electronics, which really helped me advance my research skills and allowed me to connect with graduate and undergraduate students who have similar interests. I’m excited to see how I will make use of what they taught me as I begin graduate school in the fall.”

John Angelidis, Computer Information Systems

“Earning the CEC Outstanding Senior award is a recognition of the hard work I put in not only my senior year but the past four years. I would not be in the position I am today without having worked hard every semester leading up to this point.

The professors in the Computer Science Department have been a big inspiration for me since my freshman year. Their passion for programming was the main factor that made me want to pursue a career as a software developer after college. I am very grateful to have been able to work with and learn from them throughout the past four years.”

Hannah Gardner, Integrated Information Technology

“Receiving the Outstanding Senior Award feels like a celebration of success for all that I have accomplished. I am very honored to be selected and appreciate the formal recognition of my efforts.

Both the CEC and the IIT department have been immensely helpful for me to achieve my goals. As a freshman, I was immediately welcomed and given resources on how to succeed within and outside the classroom. I am thankful for my time as a cyberinfrastructure research assistant under Dr. Jorge Crichigno, where I had the opportunity to work on a team to research an issue and present our findings to faculty and other interested parties. I am also thankful for the mentorship of Instructor Anthony Dillon, who helped me make the most of my internship opportunities and aided me during my time as president of the Association for Information Systems student organization.”

Ishrat Singh, Computer Science

“So many of my peers in computer science are equally, if not more, deserving of this award. But being acknowledged for the award clearly means that my passion for what I studied has not gone unnoticed. I'm thankful to have found a degree program that I care a lot about and hope that I can set an example for future CEC students.

The CEC and Computer Science and Engineering Department have been supportive in helping me explore my interests and figure out what I want to do after graduation. Over the course of my time here, I have been able to conduct interdisciplinary research with Dr. Austin Downey and Dr. Jason Bakos, audit a graduate-level artificial intelligence course under Dr. Forest Agostinelli, and grow professionally and personally as a member in Theta Tau. The CEC provides students with so many opportunities to learn about themselves -- not only as engineers, but also as people -- and I encourage all prospective students and current students to capitalize on as many as they can.”

Joseph Masterson, Computer Engineering

“Earning the SCSPE award is a meaningful form of recognition for me and the hard work that I've put in throughout college. It also shows me that I have been walking down the correct path and reinforces many of the decisions I have made. The college has given me the opportunity to learn the skills I need and surrounded me with an excellent support structure. I am extremely grateful to the professors and staff in the department and my classmates for all their help over the years.”