Current Position: Junior Software Engineer at Noetic Software, Inc.
Story Last Updated: Summer 2024
I chose Gwynedd Mercy University because it was local, and I wanted to commute to school. GMercyU gave me a generous scholarship and it's Computer Information Science department had different options for concentrations so I thought that it would be interesting.
Being able to work more closely with professors is a benefit that not many other schools can provide. I understand GMercyU is considered to be a somewhat smaller school, and that is a key component in what makes it special. You get to know most everyone while working closely with professors who have been around the fields that someday you may want to go into, which is a valuable experience.
Experience in CIS program
I always wanted to be a game developer ever since I was a kid, so computer science was a natural choice. I ended up majoring in Computer Information Science as that was my path to that end, but I ended up really enjoying cybersecurity which is my current concentration.
I have really enjoyed all my classes in the CIS department, and I can't say that I have had any professor that I did not learn from and enjoy in some way. Everyone is so welcoming and comes from a different background from within the field, so having all those experiences and perspectives really helps to figure out what it is I may see within the future of the field.
Program Director Cindy Casey has been a huge help in acclimating to the program and goes out of her way to be both personable and helpful to each of her students so that they feel included enough to learn the most that they can.
I would say that the fact that everyone knows each other and works with one another in some capacity helps to breed a good environment, as the more classes you take in the program, the more you learn alongside everyone within it. I enjoy knowing the majority of my fellow CIS students and giving us all the chance to learn and develop alongside one another is truly enjoyable.
I am also proud to be a part of the Sigma Phi Sigma Mercy Honor Society, as well as the Griffin Student Leadership Institute here at GMercyU, which are both excellent groups to be a part of.
Post-Graduation Plans
In March 2021, I passed the Cisco Certified Network Associate exam, which is a certification highly sought after in the industry. The CCNA was something that I first found out about last spring semester, as my networking class had covered a few of the topics that were on the exam over the Test Out labs that we had been provided for the course. That was my foundation and the reason I had initially decided to go down that path, with my self-studying starting in September. From there I read several books on the topics, then took many practice tests, watched two long-form video series on the topics, and then finally took the exam and passed it in March 2021.
I'm currently on track to graduate from LaSalle's CIS master's program during the 2024-2025 academic year, thanks to a partnership between GMercyU and LaSalle. Once I graduate, I hope to return to GMercyU as an adjunct professor, as I believe teaching what I have learned would be very rewarding.
In May 2023, Mark was named President's Scholar during the Honors Convocation ceremony.
