Eric Wojcik

Eric Wojcik graduated a semester early, in December 2018, with a Bachelor of Arts in computer science. He works for Computer Task Group in Buffalo as an IBM contractor, working as a help desk technician, as he pursues a career in IT.

A native of Buffalo, Wojcik learned of the NSF grant program at St. Bonaventure from his guidance counselor as a senior at Canisius High School, where he was a straight-A student. St. Bonaventure’s financial aid package was already the most generous among the schools he was considering, so the grant “definitely made the choice (to attend SBU) easier,” he said.

Interested in biochemistry early on, “I decided to pursue my hobby — studying computers and their inner workings,” he said.

Wojcik found the opportunity to participate in symposia and conferences through the grant program most beneficial. “Attending the symposia as a STEM scholar allowed me to interact with respected professionals in fields ranging from physics to biology. Learning about different STEM fields has helped me realize the impact that all fields have on one another,” he said.

Wojcik served as a computer science tutor with the Learning Center his sophomore and junior years at St. Bonaventure, an experience that honed his teaching skills and led to his becoming a computer science teaching assistant. He was also a judge for the annual Invitational High School Programming Contest on campus and assisted with the Department of Computer Science’s annual Girls Day event, which provides hands-on computer experiences for girls in middle school.

Wojcik provided IT support and web development while interning with an Olean wood products firm, and was a malware penetration tester as an intern with Silo City IT in Buffalo. He was also the group leader of a team that competed in the 2016 New Era Hackathon, a competition in which teams developed web-based and mobile solutions to help New Era, the Buffalo-based global headwear company, improve its brand.

“I am happy that I got to be a part of the program,” said Wojcik, and he’s hopeful NSF funding is secured to keep it running. He added, however, that “seeing as how we were a guinea pig class, there were bound to be kinks that needed to be worked out.” Wojcik said he’d like to see an equal representation of grant scholars across STEM fields, noting biology and chemistry majors were in the majority, and more team building exercises to build even more of a camaraderie among program scholars. University officials note both are points of emphasis in their application for a Track Two NSF grant.