A few years ago, Corey Bergfield of Augusta, Georgia, was just like many other high school students. He was combing through college programs trying to pick a career path.
Then, he stumbled upon information on computer science, a rapidly growing field with booming opportunities for young professionals.
“I started out with actually no knowledge of coding at all,” said Bergfield.
After dabbling with what he described as a “drag and drop” coding program, Bergfield started looking at schools with a strong foundation within this field. Among many, he chose Georgia Southern University.
“I thought it was really cool that I could potentially build something on my own that would support people across the whole globe and impact everyone’s lives,” he said.
Georgia Southern had the programs and passionate instructors to develop Corey’s talents. He said his new studies challenged him, but his instructors supported his learning and made time to help his success.
“Then it just sort of snowballed into loving the major even more and getting almost consecutive A’s in all of my major courses,” he said.
This weekend, Bergfield will graduate magna cum laude and expects his family to be loud when his name is called. His older brother, younger sister, mom and extended family will be there to celebrate everything he has accomplished.
However, the family will be short by one noticeable member.
During Corey’s sophomore year of high school, his father passed away. He and his dad bonded together during his last years. He said he thinks about his late father from time to time, and knows he would be proud of him.
Bergfield recently signed an offer to become a software developer for a global information technology company. He starts his new journey in January, and is looking forward to making his impact on the world.
