Joshua Venable Named Outstanding Senior of Computer Science

Gonzaga is happy to announce Josh Venable as the 2025 Outstanding Senior in Computer Science.

As an honors student at GU, Josh has balanced demanding coursework with several extracurricular activities. For his honors thesis project titled, “The Educational Arms Race with ChatGPT,” he explored AI’s role in education by producing a series of podcasts where he interviewed faculty from multiple disciplines regarding their experience with AI.

"Beyond academics, Josh has been a dedicated teaching assistant for four different Computer Science courses since his sophomore year, serving as a mentor for the next generation of GU students. He has also excelled in highly technical environments, earning 2nd place in a regional cybersecurity competition as a sophomore," writes Computer Science Chair and Associate Professor Gina Sprint.

> To gain industry experience, Josh landed competitive software development internships the past two summers, first at Expeditors and then at Microsoft. Upon graduation, Josh plans to start his career as a software engineer at Microsoft, contributing to backend services for Microsoft Teams. At some point, he says he wants to continue his education in cybersecurity at UW Bothell.

"Josh exemplifies both academic excellence and career ambition, making him highly deserving of the 2025 Outstanding Computer Science Senior Award," said Sprint.

Congratulations, Josh!