From time to time, we like to showcase a new SNC grad who’s entered the workplace or grad school. Success stories like these are pretty common. In fact, 95 percent of SNC's Class of 2022 alumni who responded to a survey said they were employed, in grad school or doing service work within nine months of graduating.

Graduation year: 2022
Degree: Computer Science
Plans after graduation: Michael is a backend software engineer at Northwest Mutual in Milwaukee, Wis.

Why did you choose to study at St. Norbert?
I knew in my senior year of high school that software was something I wanted to pursue, whether it was engineering or product development. A few of my uncles went to SNC, and in talking with some other people, I came to find that the computer science program at St. Norbert was a good one.

I also wanted to play tennis in college, and when I reached out to St. Norbert and another of my final school choices about their tennis programs, the other school never bothered to respond. I think that speaks to how communicative and engaged everyone at St. Norbert is. Everyone I talked to along the admission process was extremely friendly.

What opportunities did you take advantage of at SNC?
I was a four-year athlete with the tennis team. And I did a year-long internship with Northwestern Mutual. I did a lot of the same things I do now, focusing on backend work because that’s what I was most interested in learning.

How did the college, your program and professors help you achieve your goals?
I worked hard in and out of class, and I asked the right questions. The database course I took was very helpful, and my capstone course was a great way to sum up all the work I did over my four years. My project was to create an app for Android that used Bluetooth beacons to route someone around a building.

My biggest mentor was Dr. McVey-Pankratz (Computer Science). She supported me when I was preparing for interviews and building my resume. She was open to meet whenever I had questions and was one of the best professors I had.

I just liked being able to recognize everyone’s faces. The small campus experience was great and didn’t have any of the drawbacks that small schools can have, like limited courses. I had access to all the learning opportunities I could have wanted. At SNC, it’s possible to do whatever you want.

Why did you choose to join Northwestern Mutual as a backend engineer?
They have a really good reputation as one of the biggest software companies in the area. I also wanted to move back to the Milwaukee area after college.

I’m on the notifications team. We handle the email infrastructure for the company. I like the satisfaction of learning to solve problems and seeing things work in front of my eyes. It’s the most rewarding part of the job. I like being an asset to my team.