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Recent ��ο��Ƶ graduate John Comi of Stow credits the Honors College for helping him financially and creating a sense of belonging as he earned a degree in emerging media technology.

Comi did not have financial assistance from his family, but Honors College gave him a scholarship that helped him make it over the finish line.

��ο��Ƶ Today spoke with Comi about the Honors College experience and how it enhanced his time at the university.

Honors College also hosted events that allowed Comi to meet new people. 

“Especially when I'm starting as a freshman, it was great because it gave me an excuse to meet people. I commute, so I don't always have the best in-person experience, you know. I didn’t always feel super close to some of my peers, but Honors College gave me a chance to get to know them. Most of the friends I made on campus came from the Honors College. It was great to build a sense of community.”

Comi Came to ��ο��Ƶ Well Prepared

Comi came to ��ο��Ƶ with 70 credits under his belt, earned through the College Credit Plus program that allows high school students to earn college credits. It was during the pandemic when Comi enrolled full-time in the program during his sophomore, junior and senior years.

“I only spent about a year and a half in undergrad. “Obviously, there are a lot of positives to that. One negative is that I was technically a part of the Class of 2027. I didn’t get a lot of the same experiences that others did.”

Emerging Media and Technology Program is Something Special

Comi studied computer science for 1.5 years and enjoyed learning HTML, CSS, Java and Python. He noticed that he was getting excellent technical skills, but it wasn’t preparing him for some of the jobs that interested him. So, he decided to switch to emerging media and technology, which merged technical skills such as coding with design, marketing and collaboration skills.

“The program invigorated my love for technology; it helped me discover my passion. I’m excited about it.”

In addition, it was part of a combined program in the School of Emerging Media and Technology. Students are allowed to take nine hours of graduate coursework while undergraduates.

The emerging media and technology major allowed Comi to acquire a broader set of skills.

“Overall, it expanded my skill set a lot,” Comi said. “And it helped me build out a resume that went beyond just having the ability to code. Not to downplay the computer science skills, because they are also incredibly valuable to me. But I found that the EMAT program was well suited for helping me meet all my goals.”

Currently, Comi is working as a graduate assistant for the College of Nursing, as he earns his graduate degree. The graduate program is honing his leadership and collaboration skills, among other things. But most of all, when he became involved with AI development.

“I really want to move into more project management and leadership roles in terms of technology,” he said. “I think that's really where I excel and that's where I've had the most fun at my time at ��ο��Ƶ.” 

Comi said there are other colleges in the area that he could have commuted to, but ��ο��Ƶ stood above the rest.

“Overall, ��ο��Ƶ was my choice because of the number of intelligent, hard-working people who work here in so many different programs. One of the things I really value is interdisciplinary work. I love it when you have two people with nothing in common and you bring them together on a project. And I see that all the time here at ��ο��Ƶ.”

Comi said ��ο��Ƶ has changed his life, and now he’s passing the torch to his younger brother Nick.

“My little brother is coming to ��ο��Ƶ in the fall, and I'm excited to share this university with him,” Comi said. “I just can't wait to show him all the great things that I've experienced over the past four years.