Student Awards

AL NIES “FURTHER” AWARD

The Al Nies “Further” award is sponsored by Ainsley Nies, a CTP graduate of Programming Class 4. In honor and in memory of her husband, Al Nies, this annual award is given to a programming class graduate. The award was inaugurated at the Class 40 graduation.

This award is determined by the CTP instructors, and is given to the student who most consistently went beyond what was required in assignments and coursework, and did so in a way that demonstrated both intellectual curiosity and creativity. The name of the award comes from Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, who had a sign on their bus which represented the only destination they had:”Further”. A picture of that sign is incorporated into the award.

Ainsley said that Al really believed that everyone was capable of “going further”, and that he lived his own life this way.

Programming Class 43

Al Nies “Further” Award for Class 43; Frank Devine

According to his instructors, Frank had an extremely high capacity for solving problems. In terms of going “further”, he never stopped at the specifications given to him. He analyzed the problem that needed to be solved and forged ahead to find a solution to that problem, rather than just a solution to the specifications as stated. And he didn’t stop working until the problem itself was solved. He didn’t treat the specs like a typical student who thinks “when the specs are done the assignment is done”. He treated the specs as a guideline to solving the problem, a starting point.

This person approached the work, NOT like a student, but like a professional. And NOT like an ordinary professional, but like the best embodiment of what it means to be a professional.and a professional that you’d REALLY want on your team.

Frank Devine is the very deserving recipient of the Al Nies “Further” Award for CTP Programming Class 43.

Programming Class 42

Al Nies “Further” Award for Class 42: Doug MacGillivray.

Doug MacGillivray is the recipient of the third annual “Al Nies ‘Further’ Award” for Class 42. Ainsley Nies, a CTP graduate and board member, established this award a few years ago in honor and in memory of her husband, Al Nies. Al really believed that everyone was capable of “going further”, and he lived his own life this way.

This year’s award recipient, Doug MacGillivray, worked beyond what would typically be expected of a student on every assignment, according to his instructors. He often re-worked assignments after they had been graded if he saw a different and potentially better way to solve the problem. Meeting a project’s specifications is where Doug begins when working on an assignment. After meeting the basic functional needs of the user, he often will spend time improving the user interface, thinking of how the program could run more efficiently, be more readable, etc. All of his work is of outstanding quality, professionally documented and carefully thought out. At the graduation ceremony for Class 42, we honored and celebrated this student’s commitment to always go “Further”. The award comes with a generous gift certificate from Comp USA. Congratulations, Doug!

Programming Class 41

Al Nies “Further” Award for Class 41: Silas Tao.

Ainsley Nies, a CTP graduate, established an award last year to be given to a programming class graduate in honor and in memory of her husband.

This year’s recipient of the “Al Nies ‘Go Further’ Award” is Silas Tao, a student who impressed his instructors with the extra time and effort he put in on his assignments, always with a positive attitude. He has an incredible work ethic. You will never hear this person say “Oh, I’ve done enough work for today, time to go home”. He always works until the project is finished, and then goes through his code again with a fine toothcomb. He consistently demonstrated an amazing level of commitment and high degree of professionalism in his work, making sure he went well beyond the required specifications. Though this student faced challenges, said one teacher, “I only sensed his patience and never frustration throughout the class.” Another teacher said that it could be easy to overlook this student because of his quiet nature. At his graduation, we honored and celebrated this student’s commitment to always go further with “Al Nies ‘Go Further’ Award”.

Programming Class 40

1st Annual Al Nies “Go Further” Award goes to Mark Bellone.

Ainsley Nies, a CTP graduate of Programming Class 4, recently proposed an annual award to a programming class graduate. In honor and in memory of her husband, this new annual award given for the first time at the recent Class 40 graduation, is called: The Al Nies “Go Further” award.

This award is determined by the instructors, and given to the student who most consistently went beyond what was required in assignments and coursework, and did so in a way that demonstrated both intellectual curiosity and creativity. The name of the award comes from Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, who had a sign on their bus which represented the only destination they had: “Further”. A picture of that sign is incorporated into the award.

Ainsley said that Al really believed that everyone was capable of “going further”, and that he lived his own life this way. The award also includes a very generous Comp USA gift certificate donated by Ainsley.

Ainsley read the following in giving this first award to graduate Mark Bellone:

“The first recipient of the “Al Nies ‘Go Further’ Award” is a student who always went beyond the limitations of the assignments given, even creating new assignments to test out improved or different ways of solving problems. Several of the instructors commented on how innovative his solutions were, how probing his questions seemed, and how he constantly challenged himself to push further. His main instructor would find almost daily emails, sometimes several emails in a day, asking questions about assignments, languages or approaches to problem solving. His in-person discussions with instructors often lead from initial technical questions to almost philosophical realms. He also went beyond himself, always willing to share his technical knowledge with other classmates, helping them to “go further” as well. I am very pleased to give this first “Go Further” Award to: Mark Bellone”.

HEWLETT-PACKARD “OUTSTANDING STUDENT” AWARD

Hewlett-Packard sponsors this annual award, which is voted upon by the recipient’s classmates. The HP Outstanding Student Award goes to the Programming student who not only has excelled in the class, but who has shared that expertise with other class members. In addition to the award itself, Hewlett-Packard donates a PDA which is also given to the award recipient.

Programming Class 43

Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Student Award for Class 43; Nick Molchanoff

Nick Molchanoff is the very deserving recipient of the HP “Outstanding Student” Award for Programming Class 43. Nick exhibited a tremendous willingness throughout the course to share his programming, logic, and technical talents, both with his fellow students and with CTP. Nick worked tirelessly on revising and upgrading the CTP intranet site while he was a student. He willingly shared his insight and skills with other students in his class. The award includes an HP PDA device, which Nick accepted at the class graduation ceremony.

One of his fellow students wrote the following, which was read during the announcement of this award at the class graduation. “Nick… what can you say? If the computer didn’t agree with him he’d holler at it. He really showed his obsessive side throughout our class, and I am thankful for that, because it translated into a wealth of knowledge. I could always count on him having answers to many of my questions because I knew he had worked out every angle while we were away from CTP, and if he didn’t have the answer he surely would get it. I think this time at CTP was a struggle for him on many levels, but he made it through, and helped many of us along the way. I think he came a long way and I’m glad to have met him.”

Programming Class 42

Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Student for Class 42: Michael Horton.

The student who received this year’s HP Outstanding Student Award was known not only for excellent work, but also for leadership in the classroom, and for being helpful in the lab. “He was our guide!” one student said, “He supported us and helped us whenever we needed it.” Another student described how ready and willing he was with a knowledgeable answer. “Whenever I was deciding among several possible solutions, he would always help me understand which one was best and why. The guy knew what he was doing!” Several students described his manner in the classroom as friendly, informative, and always positive. As for the quality of this student’s own work? One student said it best, exclaiming “HE IS AWIZARD!” Another student described his work as “GREAT! Above and beyond…andvery creative!”

Michael received his HP Outstanding student award at the graduation ceremony for Class 42. The award comes with an HP PDA (pocket PC). Our thanks to Loretta Powell for presenting the award, and to Jeff Breilh, CTP graduate at Hewlett-Packard, for arranging the award gift from HP.

Programming Class 41

HP Outstanding Student Award for Class 41: Dave Yan

Here is what a fellow student wrote about the year’s HP Outstanding Student award recipient for Class 41:

“I am very glad you gave me the opportunity to write something about this person. He is always wearing a friendly smile, talking softly, listening carefully, thinking practically, working patiently, responding modestly, acting thoughtfully, walking steadily and helping others without reservation.

“We never asked ‘Who is printing?’ when the big printer broke the silence of lab the first time after a COBOL assignment was due. We always knew the answer–‘Dave’.

“With his Internet knowledge, he was chosen as the teaching assistant on the first day of web design class. During the course, he offered his time for everybody at almost any time.

“He is the person who helps other classmates not in minutes, not in hours, but in several days on the same topic or on the same program.

“If you want to find any special class tips, you can find them in ‘Yan’s folder’, a help file he set up for classmates in CTP’s public drive.

“We are glad we have him in Class 41. And, we know Dave would say he was glad to be here in Class 41 too.

“We thank Dave, and wish him Good Luck!”

Programming Class 40

Hewlett-Packard “Outstanding Student” award goes to Tom Dudziak and Jeff Trulson.

At the recent Programming Class 40 graduation, Tom Dudziak and Jeff Trulson received the Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Student Award. This award, voted upon by their classmates, goes to the student who not only has excelled in the class, but who has shared that expertise with other class members.

In describing why Jeff was chosen from among his peers, one of his classmates wrote the following:

“I choose Jeff as best classmate for a number of reasons. He has an amazing ability to understand languages, he quickly picked up computer languages as well as sign language. He is able to convey technical as well as interpersonal communications in a humorous and intelligent style, with both the hearing and non-hearing students in the class. This was also demonstrated in his job as a class note taker. He generously offered his time to tutor and troubleshoot with any of his classmates who needed help, even when his own work was not yet perfected to the level he wanted. He is diplomatic and was chosen to act as our class representative. He is an inspiration to me for he doesn’t let his particular challenges interfere with the quality and enjoyment of his life or with his desire to learn, grow and make his life purposeful. He’s a great guy!”

In describing why Tom Dudziak was chosen from among his peers, one of his classmates wrote the following:

“Tom Dudziak was one of the hardest working students at CTP. He not only finished his assignments first, he then spent his extra time helping others with theirs. He often stayed hours beyond the time when he had finished his assignments to help his fellow students. He knew how to assist others with their work, not doing it for them–a perfect blend of helping them along and providing guidance. I voted for him as Outstanding Student because of his brilliance and his devotion to his fellow students. His name is Tom Dudziak.”