Sergio Beltran Obiol, Computer Science student

Why did you choose Lakehead-Georgian?

I was looking for a place where I could learn practically more than theoretically. It has the best parts of both college and university. The college has a good balance with theory/practice that I like and I have the chance to take Co-op which gives me working experience before graduating. With university I can expand my knowledge in Computer Science that the market demands. I get all of that without the need to waste extra years because this program allows me to earn both a diploma and degree at the same time, so by the time some people have earned only a degree or diploma, I will earn both.

What has your experience been like so far at Lakehead-Georgian?

The classes are much smaller than other universities. This allows you to get personalized help and to get to know your teach and even come friends with them! The relationship between teacher-student becomes so strong that we are still friends and in contact with our previous teachers. We are able to still discuss projects or possible jobs with them. You never know what can come up!

Can you describe a special project you were involved in and why it was important to you?

In first semester, we had a class called The Internet of Things where we learned Arduino software. This is the simplest way to see how programming works and in that class you start to feel like you are able to do anything! For the final project I decided to make a smart thermostat, which worked with a facial recognition (with the help of my instructor and classmate). It was supposed to recognize your face and look into your user profile and set the temperature at your preset value. Sadly, we couldn’t make the face recognition to work but it detected your mood! It’s something. Trying to do something like that is what this program is about… innovate, research, try, fail, research and try again. Sometimes you won’t achieve your desired result but you can always try again.

What advice would you give to future Lakehead-Georgian students?

Well first of all, get along with your classmates. You are going to be with them for four years and it is good practice for real life when you get a job and have to work with someone all day even if you don’t get along. Don’t make excuses and make friends! The instructors and staff are your friends and are here to help. Ask any questions you have!

Learn more about our Computer Science program