BCIT Scholarship Winner
An important part of Microserve’s culture is giving back. One of the ways that we do that is through the Microserve Scholarship funds. We have four established scholarships that we support at the following institutions: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Douglas College, University of Victoria and the University of Alberta. The scholarships are just one way Microserve invests in fostering and developing new talent for the IT industry. Annually we host a variety of events and focus on fundraising to raise money for the scholarships; in 2017 alone, we raised $14,000.
With the school year coming to a close we wanted to reflect on this year’s scholarship winners as well as get to know them better, what better way to do this than to play Microserve’s version of 20 questions, which is shorter and just 11 questions.
Let us shine a spotlight on Jap Johal, Microserve’s 2017 Information Systems Scholarship recipient from BCIT, and get to know him in eleven questions or less.
Please introduce yourself
I am a Kwantlen University bachelor’s degree graduate with a major in criminology and a minor in political science; after leaving Kwantlen and working in the private sector, I went to BCIT to study computers. After 8 months of school, I earned a Co-op at St. Georges School followed by another placement at an engineering company. After finishing my Co-op, I will be going back to school to finish my diploma. I have an interest in doing my bachelor’s degree after my diploma.
What are your hobbies?
Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my lovely partner. Occasionally, if BCIT hasn’t melted my mind, I go to the gym and play sports.
What is something you are passionate about?
I am passionate about workplace security and making sure companies are not infected by threats such as ransomware.
If you could choose to have any super power, what would you pick?
If I could have a super power I would find it hard to choose between time travel and invisibility. I would end up going with time travel.
Are you a cat or dog person?
DOG person woof woof!
What is something that you think all offices should have?
Anti-Virus on all their computers.
What is your major?
My major is in Computer Science.
What are you most proud of, in school or in life?
I’m very proud of where I have come at BCIT. My Co-op was a great moment for me.
What is your favorite part about what you study?
The challenges that you are presented with daily are amazing. Finding solutions to those problems is challenging, but rewarding.
Why do you think your major is important?
I feel my major is important because life is going digital. In offices there are deadlines, opportunities to be more efficient, and threats are everywhere. We need to understand computers and that is what I do.
How has winning the scholarship affected you?
The scholarship allowed me to replace my laptop. My previous laptop would shut off on me in class randomly. Now the laptop I have gives me much more confidence when in class that I will be able to do my work.