Ryan Leahy Outstanding Computer Engineering Student of the Year

Ryan Leahy is the Outstanding Computer Engineering Student of the Year.

Nominating professor Claudio Talarico, Ph.D. appreciates Ryan's dependability, professionality, and ability to work independently.

"From the very beginning, I have been very impressed by his many qualities including self-motivation, work ethics, teamwork capability, and his positive attitude and enthusiasm for learning and tackling new challenges," said Claudio Talarico, PhD.

That's not to say Ryan found the courses easy.

"Electronic Design and Signals and Systems were both brutal classes. I got through it mainly through the comradery that formed during Junior year with my other classmates," he said.

The San Diego native chose computer engineering because of his long-time interest in electronics. "My dad would buy me broken laptops to dissect so I could get a better sense of how they worked. That curiosity on how these magical machines worked led me to picking this degree."

Gonzaga's Robotics club gave him the opportunity to develop leadership skills as the head of an embedded system team. A highlight of his Gonzaga time was working on a robotic rover. "After a challenging year of planning and development, seeing that rover move was amazing!"

Gonzaga's class sizes also helped Ryan achieve. "I knew going to a large university where I was a number instead of a person was not going to be conducive to my success. If you want your professor to know your name and be invested in your success, come to SEAS!"

Ryan spent the last two summers interning at Northrop Grumman and General Atomics ASI. He plans to work in the computer industry for a time before pursuing a master's degree.