Coleby Kauffman
Coleby Kauffman says it may sound a bit trite, but college is a pivotal point in a person’s life and you have to seize the moment.
“My experience with college has shown that the more you put in, the more you get out of it,” he said. “Invest in your future by applying yourself while you still have the opportunity.”
Coleby served as a senator for ASLCSC (Associated Students of Lewis-Clark State College) his senior year and spent the past two years as a tutor for computer science and math in the LC State Tutoring Center. He also received a HERC-STEM research grant for a bioinformatics research project that he worked on with Charles Addo-Quaye, an assistant professor in the Business & Computer Science Division.
“I definitely enjoyed my final year at LC the most,” Coleby said. “I was much more involved in campus activities through my position in ASLCSC and it was great meeting so many new people and being able to try something I never thought I would enjoy.”
Now that he’s about to earn his degree, Coleby said he hopes to have an impactful career – “one which will directly influence people's lives, businesses, etc. For years I have been working on projects that influence small spheres (my class, school, etc.) and I think it would be exciting to have the opportunity to expand that influence using the skills I have developed along the way.”
Coleby said he will continue to apply for software development jobs across the United States following graduation and “see what happens. It is difficult to say exactly where I will be or what I will end up doing, as nothing is set in stone yet. I would like to stay in the Northwest, but anything could happen.”
A graduate of Centennial High in Meridian, Coleby says there are five people he would like to thank for helping him with his LC State journey:
- Charles Addo-Quaye: “for being extremely supportive and willing to help out at any time as well as providing me with a fantastic research opportunity that allowed me to further my programming skills and bioinformatics knowledge—a field I was completely unfamiliar with prior. I met with Charles while visiting LC State a year before I graduated high school and he was the main reason I chose to attend LC!”
- Professor Seth Long: “for offering challenging and unique courses and projects that elevated my understanding of all things computer science and being invested in my success as a student.”
- Professor Nina Peterson: “for being a great advisor and assisting me with my course plans, resume, etc.”
- ASLCSC president Caden Massey: “for encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone and get involved on campus as well as just being a terrific friend. As I mentioned earlier, being a part of ASLCSC and being involved on campus in general made my time at LCSC special and it is something I will never forget.”
- Fellow computer science student Will Grubin: “for being a great friend and always being there to bounce ideas off of.”