Class of 2014

Our students partake in a variety of opportunities that will prepare them for industry. You can read more about these opportunities along with reflections by current students describing their experience at St. Bonaventure.

Robert Barrows

When I first came to Bonaventure I noticed that a lot of small groups seemed to feel they were in some way better than others here. This kept me from expressing myself and meeting new people. The years went by and my friend circle did not grow much beyond a few. In this last year I found a group of great people I just wish I had looked earlier.

The struggles we all go through in our life I am glad I picked Bonaventure as the community showed how helpful they can be in struggling times. This made the school feel more like a family and less of a municipality looking for money. I will have fond memories of my classes here at St. Bonaventure’s Computer Science Department as a Computer Science major. Those memories being the struggling to learn more through the challenging material the program offers. In the end we learn more through our failures than our successes in life and I am thankful for the struggles and those who were there to help in any way through those difficult times.

Kyle Braham

My experience as a St. Bonaventure Computer Science student is nothing short of just plain awesomeness. What made my experience so awesome was not just learning form the classes and labs at Bonaventure, but the extra activities that were encouraged by the department. My person favorite were the development groups that were designed to let students learn and have fun at the same time. My internship at Uthealth in Houston Texas as a intern web designer really open my eyes and help me mature as a Computer Science student. My favorite class as a St. Bonaventure Computer Science student has to be Programming languages. I liked this class in particular because I discovered some really cool languages that had some different concepts that I were foreign ​to me. One experience that I really enjoy was taking an independent study making an android app. This I thought was cool because I got to explore the world of android and use everything I learned so far to create an app.

The most important concept that was taught to me during my time as a St. Bonaventure Computer Science student ​ was the ability to teach myself.

Samuel Fink

I had a great four years attending St. Bonaventure. Through the CS department I was able to get involved with various projects and events. I helped at the high school programming contest and joined the SBU Hacker Team. The team recreated the CS department’s website and I learned a lot through the project. On my own I created a database for the mock trials club so they could have an easier way to keep track of scores. Working on these projects has given me experience and has helped me build a better resume. Outside of computer science I was able to play intramural basketball and dodgeball. We rarely won but it was a lot of fun. I have met great friends that I hope to stay in contact with for the rest of my life.

I am looking forward to starting a career but I will miss being a student at St. Bonaventure.

Brandon T. Kowalski

I started my Bonaventure career as a Biology major in the pre-pharmacy program. By my sophomore year, I quickly realized this was not a good fit and decided to change majors to do something I loved, Computer Science. As a CS major, I have had the opportunity to work on various projects including the BonaResponds Android App, Department Website Overhaul, Olean Food Panty Inc. website, univFeed, a web application for campus annoucements, and Happy Observation, a web application to track happiness in one's community. I also had the opportunity to intern as a software developer at Paychex the summer before my senior year.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had at Bonas. You would be hard pressed to find faculty as dedicated as ours anywhere. A group of some of the brightest people I have ever met who bend over backwards to help. Our CompSci professors paired with awesome classmates make for an unforgetable academic career. The Bona Bubble is alive and well in SBUCS (perhaps even stronger than other departments).

Upon graduation, I plan to enter the workforce as a software developer and hope to one day earn a Ph.D. and teach.

John Mackiewicz

During my time at St. Bonaventure I enjoyed just about everything. Enrolling in computer science was one of the best decisions I have made in addition to committing to being on the swim team at Bonas. This combination made for a great college experience. Computer science was challenging but with diligence and a great faculty in the department I was able to to well. The community we have within the CS department is unlike any community I have experienced thus far and I imagine few have the same opportunity. It is a small family that is professional yet casual which I thought was great because we graduate with what we need while also going through school having a great time with our 'family' in the department.

During my time here we did some tough, yet fun and interesting projects that allowed us to showcase and develop our skills. I was also involved with the Dev Team that works on extracurricular, voluntary projects that allow you to learn new skills while working on neat projects that actually interest you. The Dev Team was a great experience.

Matthew Scotto

At St. Bonaventure University I went from knowing zero programming to being able to make websites and write programs. I was involved with the St. Bonaventure Hacker Team where we made new websites for our Computer Science Department and for the Olean Food Pantry. I also worked at Tech Services for four years helping people with computer issues. My sophomore year I made a relational database for the English Department's Writing Lab.

Overall I have enjoyed my experience at St. Bonaventure and look forward to a career in web development.