Freshman Connection is a program designed to help our incoming students jump into life at RIT.

Review the bios below to learn about the current students who volunteered to welcome and support our incoming freshman!

Meet the guides

• Matt Behrens
  
  
  I am a 5th year Software Engineering student on the verge of graduation! I've spent about five years at RIT, including two separate 6-month co-ops and 6 months of study abroad in Germany. I love to travel and have lived in quite a few places across the world. My current hometown would be Pittsburgh. My next favorite place to visit would be Australia! I'm a big fan of biking and hockey. Also yoga when I find the time.

  As a developer, I'm very interested in web applications and dynamic languages such as Python, PHP, and Perl. I'm a big proponent of Linux and running your own server. My most favorite SE class would probably be Information Systems design, it was a great experience to analyze and improve systems at such a base level. Systems architecture and design is an area of programming that I really enjoy, building a system correctly from the ground up.

• Andrew Bona
  
  
  Andrew is a fourth year Software Engineering student from Lancaster, NY (a suburb of Buffalo). He is an active member of the Society of Software Engineers, serving as the Public Relations Committee Head for several quarters. He now serves as a committee member, but still plays an active role in the PR activities of SSE.

  Andrew has co-oped several times, but in one location: Moog. Moog is a defense contractor in East Aurora, NY (again, near Buffalo), and Andrew worked as support for the Engineers and their applications by working in the IT department.

  In the future, Andrew hopes to become a Project Manager for Software Projects. In order to achieve this goal, Andrew is minoring in Management, Marketing, and Communications (with an Advertising/Public Relations track).

  Andrew is serving as a Lead Guide for the Freshmen Connection program, and is looking forward to working with all of the Freshmen population.

• Brian Call
  
  
  I am going into my fifth year at RIT and have taken the bulk of the SE curriculum already. (I have 2 SE electives, Software Architecture and Senior Project left). I grew up in Staten Island, NY and plan on living in NYC after I graduate in RIT, hopefully working at an investment bank. I have a minor in Finance as well, and took my Liberal Arts concentration in Japanese Language and culture.

  When not working on schoolwork, I love to watch movies (Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale are my favorites) and travel (although most of the time it is just to Niagara Falls for a weekend trip). I do occasionally go snowboarding even though I am pretty terrible at it.

  My work experience through RIT's co-op program has involved all financial services companies. I started at a small mortgage analytical company in downtown NYC during summer and fall of 2007. I spent the summer of 2008 working at JPMorgan Chase, which I returned to (and currently working at now) this summer. In between, I worked for Webster Bank in Bristol, CT in the winter and spring months of 2009.

• Tony Cocco
  
  
  Tony Cocco is a 4th year Software Engineer student from Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is an active member of the Society of Software Engineers at RIT and captains their intramural volleyball team. He can usually be found mentoring students in the SSE lab or outside throwing frisbee.

  Outside of class and school-related activities, he enjoys video gaming, bike riding and photography. He is very social and enjoys hanging out with friends, going to the movies, dining out and go-karting.

  Tony is now completing a triple block at Harris RF Communications and will be returning to classes in the Fall.

• Philip Gibson
  
  
  I am originally from Sevierville, Tennessee, a smaller town in the Knoxville metropolitan area. This is near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so I have spent a great deal of time hiking, camping, and biking. I discovered my love of programming in seventh grade after learning BASIC for my TI-83 calculator. Since then, I have known what I wanted to do for a living.

  I discovered RIT after doing research about Software Engineering and how it differs from Computer Science. RIT stood out as the best option for anyone wishing to go into SE, and after my visit, it was the obvious choice. This is my fourth year here, and I have recently begun a minor in Computer Engineering to develop my experience beyond just software.

  In addition to programming, my activities include the Society of Software Engineers, Campus Crusade for Christ, rock climbing, soccer, camping, and reading. I spend most of my breaks back home with old friends on multi-day trips to the mountains, and most of my free time working on random side projects.

  My experience here at RIT has been a great one, and I hope to pass that along.

• Robbie Gladmon
  
  
  I am a 5th year Software Engineering student and expect to graduate in May 2010. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, I knew software engineering was the thing for me as soon as I heard about the program RIT offered. I enjoy problem solving and engineering applications to solve problems. I have really enjoyed my time at RIT and am active on campus. My favorite things are the Men’s Lacrosse Club, going to the gym, the Knights of Columbus council on campus, and hanging around the SSE lab. Though my favorite lab is the Real-Time and Embedded systems lab, which is where I have my classes from my application domain. Here students have plenty of hardware and resources to learn and play. The classes are equally challenging, rewarding and fun. I currently live off campus, but lived in the dorms my first two years; one as a freshman and one as a residential advisor. Every year though, I have enjoyed my living situation. I look forward to my last year in the undergraduate program and my senior project in winter quarter.
• Monica Hirst
  
  

  I'm a fourth year in Software Engineering with a minor in Business Management. I'm from Maine originally, from a small town called Dayton, near Saco. I love being outdoors, I ski in the winter and camp or go to beaches in the summer. I'm on the RIT ski team here and I'm in SSE.

  I've had two co-ops, my first one here in Rochester at The Gleason Works and another one at Goldman Sachs. I'm interested in enterprise software and web applications, some of my favorite courses here at RIT have been Principles of Information Systems and Managing Innovation and Technology. I also really enjoy travelling, while in Rochester I've driven to many places including Niagra Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Tremblant, Madawaska, various places in the states including Lake George, NYC, Carlisle, PA, and all over New England. I got a motorcycle summer of '08 and will hopefully travel more on that as I gain more experience.

• Phil Huge
  
  This fall I will be entering my third year at RIT after finishing up my first coop, a single block at a company called Sparta located in Centreville, Virginia. This quarter I’ll be taking several Software Engineering courses and finishing up my Psychology minor at the same time.

  Professionally, I’m interested in all areas of Software Engineering and I try to attend all of the GCCIS lectures simply to learn more about the field. My favorite class so far is 361 – everyone’s first real taste of Software Engineering. While I’ve enjoyed all the SE classes I’ve taken, 361 covered every topic imaginable and was a great introduction to the rest of the program. I’m also interested in Psychology and how it can apply to SE (everything from project management to interface design), and I’m an avid writer.

  Although I am a Rochester native, I live on campus in a Park Point apartment, and I spent my first year living in the Baker Hall dorms. On campus, when I’m not working in the SE team rooms (our program’s best kept secret), I usually hang out in the Honors Lab on the third floor of GCCIS.

• Chris Johnson
  
  
  Chris Johnson is a third year student in the Software Engineering program. He graduated in 2005 from Jamestown High School in Jamestown, NY. Chris originally started as a Pre-Medicine Major at RIT and has experience with many different classes. His hobbies include watching sports, as well as playing video games, and learning Esperanto.
• Chris Kehler
  
  
  I am a third year software engineering major with a concentration in German language and culture. I was born and raised in Broomall, Pennsylvania, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. During high school, I was involved with the theatre program and chorus. I have held many jobs in my hometown and at RIT, including coaching gymnastics, resident advising, computer support, and note taking.
  In terms of coop, I have had one block at Oracle Corporation, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. There I mainly worked on web applications, researching and prototyping with the Oracle Application Development Framework and working on Primavera P6 project management software. During high school I worked on web development and some Java, and at RIT my experiences include Java, C/C++, Ruby, Rails, CVS, Subversion, Eclipse, JDBC, SQL, Apache Derby, Oracle ADF, Oracle Database XE, Weblogic, Glassfish, JSP, CSS, Ant, JUnit, and JDeveloper.
  I spend my time at RIT as an active member of the Honors program and working on extra-curricular software engineering projects. I am also interested in rock climbing, skiing, playing soccer, skateboarding, gaming, playing guitar, cooking, and hanging around Java's, Ritchie's, or the Student Life Center gym.
• Kevin Kutcha
  
  
  I'm a fourth year SE major and I grew up in Hilton, NY. I'm a member of the RIT Debate Society and the Society of Software Engineers. I enjoy biking, coding, camping, ultimate frisbee, and casual gaming. I've worked at IBM, RIT ITS, and at GE.

  SE-wise, I prefer the design and implementation end of things to the process end of things. I'm not a huge fan of low-level development, so I've been working towards desktop and web development, as opposed to embedded or systems programming. I'm going to minor in Computer Science, potentially Political Science as well. My liberal arts co e International Relations, and my application domain is Artificial Intelligence.

  SSE-wise, I've been an SSE volunteer mentor for various CS and SE classes, gone on a bunch of SSE events, bummed around the SSE lab between classes, and collaborated on a few personal projects with fellow SSE'ers. I'm a big fan of the organization, in that I think it hits a great balance between a professional organization and casual group, in addition to offering some very useful services to the student body. I'm also a member of the Voices in Software Engineering (ViSE) committee that brings various important people in the SE field to talk to students.

  I'm a Freshman Guide because I believe in the SE department and the FG program- I think that there exists a strong need for a system to help freshmen acclimate to life as an RIT student and an SE major academically, culturally, and socially.

• Anne Markis
  
  
  This will be my 5th year in the Software Engineering program at RIT, no regrets. I was born and raised in the Rochester area, and while I've truly enjoyed getting to know new places during co-op, there's no place like home. Speaking of co-op - I'll be finishing my final quarter during the summer, and ready to begin the final stretch of schooling. My hobbies rise and fall with the seasons, but a few of them have always seemed to stick with me - software, music and cooking, all three of which I consider necessary on a daily basis for any amount of sanity. I believe software engineers are closer to artists than mathematicians. My favorite form of exercise is walking, and I've taken so many walks around the campus I feel like I own it. I am a Virgo.
• Evan Williams
  
  
  I'm going into my third year at RIT. I've lived in the Rochester area for the majority of my life. I am an Eagle Scout, and love the outdoors and nature. I also like playing video games. I spend most of my time hanging out with friends, most of whom I met within our major. I am the Head of Events for the Society of Software Engineers. My favorite class in Software Engineering so far has been Design of Software Subsystems, which teaches design patterns and their application.

  I lived in the dorms for my first year, and the first quarter of my second year, before moving into a University Commons apartment, which I got into through connections with the Society of Software Engineers. I tend to be a fairly social and likable person, and do my best to keep those around me happy. I hope to go on co-op fairly soon, preferable in the Rochester area. My first year at RIT, I spent most of my time with friends on my floor. I had fun, but was also very limited in terms of things to do. We mostly just hung out in each other’s rooms. Since I started being an active member in the Society of Software Engineers, I have had an active social life, and truly begun to enjoy my time at RIT.