This May, the Seidenberg School graduated its first class of Seidenberg Scholars, actively recruited high school graduates who attended Pace both as Pforzheimer Honors College students and as invited participants in the prestigious Seidenberg Scholars program. The program is funded by the gift from Ivan G. Seidenberg, Pace alumnus and member of the University’s Board of Trustees.
Alexander Quick of Easton, PA, Igor Pokrychevskiy and Jeffrey Marvin from Philadelphia, and Jose Diaz Gonzalez of Raleigh–Durham, NC, chose Pace because of its closely knit community, excellent teaching, and proximity to the burgeoning New York tech center. All enrolled on the New York City campus. When asked why he chose Pace and if his instincts proved accurate, Alex Quick said “I fell in love with the people when I first came to visit. . . and the access to all of the great technology jobs in the City convinced me that Pace would be a great place to go to college – and I was right!”
Alex Quick and Jeff Marvin were part of the first Seidenberg Scholars Summer Experience held in 2006, a computer science camp for gifted and talented students run by the Seidenberg School that has served as an important recruiting ground for future Seidenberg students.
The opportunity to be interdisciplinary in their studies was another advantage that the Seidenberg Scholars enjoyed during their undergraduate careers at Pace. Quick, Marvin and Pokyrychevsky all double majored in computer science and economics. Jose Diaz Gonzalez focused on his love of programming and became one of the most in demand PHP (a top Web programming language) coders in the City while still an undergraduate. Jose has converted his talents into a full-time position with Seatgeek.com, a purveyor of online pricing futures for concerts and sporting events. Igor has leveraged his expertise in computer science and programming to land an analyst position with RTI International, an economics research firm in San Francisco. Alex is working for Seidenberg alum Oz Michaeli at fileitup.com, an interactive media company with impressive business with Apple, Inc., and Jeff Marvin is working as a programmer/consultant while evaluating graduate school offers.
The Seidenberg School provides a strong sense of community for its students, as one can immediately see upon entrance to the office at 163 William Street. “This is like a home for us, and for some, it’s actually their home,” says Jeff Marvin. After four years at Pace University, the Seidenberg Scholars have formed an unbreakable bond.
For young professionals with a background in computing, Pace University allows students to take advantage of everything the world of technology has to offer. “Pace University is definitely a place where you can take your game to the next level,” says Quick. Of his experience at Pace, his father, Rob Randleman, wrote that “Alex had a challenging, engaging, and utterly wonderful four years at Pace. The colleagues he met, the course of study, the work experiences all combined into an outstanding college experience.”
The long hours and late nights that our Seidenberg Scholars put in throughout the years have really paid off. Coming to Pace University as young, yet exceptionally intelligent adolescents, they quickly became experts in their various fields of study, now working at high-level jobs in major cities across the country.
Although we must say goodbye and good luck to our inaugural class of Seidenberg Scholars, it’s safe to say that they will remain familiar members of the community. As far as future Seidenberg Scholars, “It will be pretty hard to replace me”, says Jose Diaz Gonzalez, in a modestly mocking manner, yet the Seidenberg School will soon welcome its fifth crop of incoming Scholars with equally impressive credentials with the start of the fall semester. These four scholars left behind a legacy of exemplary intellectual work and community service that have set a precedent to be followed and perpetuated in the years to come.