Grad profile: Coding tomorrow's solutions

Spring Convocation: Leah Brown, Faculty of Computer Science

- May 21, 2014

Computer Science grad Leah Brown. (Danny Abriel photo)
Computer Science grad Leah Brown. (Danny Abriel photo)

Not everyone gets to find his or her dream job immediately upon graduation — let alone before even finishing school.

Leah Brown’s dream job was to work as a software developer for a major tech company. So when Microsoft came to campus in her third year, she submitted her resumé and hoped for the best.

Not only was the honours computer science student chosen for an internship in Seattle, the company offered her a job upon graduation.

“Coming into Dalhousie first year, that is something I never dreamed I would be able to achieve — or if I did, I expected it would be 10, 15 years down the road,” says Leah, who started her job as a software development engineer in February after her coursework was complete. “It made me realize how far I had come, and how much my time at Dalhousie has allowed me to grow.”

Leah, originally from Bedford, N.S., was good at math in high school and had an interest in technology but didn’t know very much about computer science when she started her degree. She quickly fell in love with it, particularly coding.

“That’s something I still really love,” she says noting it’s the core of her day-to-day work at Microsoft. “It’s like one really big puzzle, where you have tools and a goal and have to figure out how to bring them together.”

Leah has earned multiple scholarships and awards during her time at Dal, and proudly served as secretary and president of the Dalhousie Women in Technology Society (WiTS).

“WiTS is a great place for female students to come and meet other women in the Faculty,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity to network — especially with events like We Talk Tech, where we have industry, faculty and students all come out.”

This article is part of a series on our newest graduates. These profiles are also published in the 2014 Spring Convocation Keepsake, which is distributed at Convocation ceremonies. For more on Convocation (including live webcasts), visit the Convocation website.


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