Dreams become a reality one choice at a time, but Erik Kaufman ’20 challenged the odds and tripled the results with one simple decision: attending LVC. Referred to LVC by a high school friend, Kaufman only required one trip to the campus to know that LVC was the perfect place to start his future.

“I was attracted to LVC’s short distance from home, so I scheduled a tour and fell in love with the friendly atmosphere of the campus,” Kaufman said.

Kaufman knew from an early age that music was a passion of his and that he would like to pursue it professionally in college. As he entered high school, though, Kaufman started to take a liking to math and computer science, making his range of interests and majors broad.

Not wanting to leave a dream untouched, Kaufman chose to triple major in math, computer & data science, and audio & music production. Although his decision came with ease, the workload proved to be a challenge.

“LVC consisted of the most challenging and unforgettable years of my academic career,” Kaufman reflected. “In the end, my studies transformed me into a well-rounded individual who prefers not to think in absolutes but rather to recognize individuals from various backgrounds and interests.

“The countless opportunities LVC offers its students are indeed the most wonderful features of the institution. Students can follow multiple paths to master inclusive excellence and welcome the nuances of our world,” he added.

Over his four years at LVC, Kaufman interned for Cerner Corp and Susquehanna International Group. For these companies, Kaufman acted as a software intern assigned to resolve tickets, or errors, brought up by the team’s manager.

“My LVC education helped me evaluate a program’s control flow, navigate the Scrum agile process framework, and facilitate source control management,” Kaufman said. “The internship locations allowed me to gain exposure to city environments with which I had no previous experience. I also realized that employers do not necessarily value the employee’s knowledge, but always value how the employee translates their knowledge into results and profits.”

Kaufman, who completed his degrees in December, plans to take a short break before starting his recently accepted full-time position at Lockheed Martin as a software developer in their space division.

“I am excited to take part in a long-lasting mission that is bigger than myself and appeals to a grand sense of purpose that I never encountered before,” said Kaufman.

As he enters the work world, Kaufman plans to continue pursuing music as a hobby. His goal is to construct audio plug-in software that allows users to synthesize signals and effects in a digital audio workstation.

“The LVC professors are the smartest people I have had the pleasure of meeting,” Kaufman said. “To any prospective student, I would say to let your professor guide you. Tackle a project that has real-world impacts. Have your friends join in on the fun and make the journey memorable.”

— Parker Gallagher, Marketing & Communications Student Assistant