Ridas Jagelavicius

Ridas Jagelavicius is the 2021 recipient of the CS Larson Transfer Student Award.

Ridas is a student in the Department of Computer Science and is set to graduate in May.

After transferring to Grainger Engineering his junior year, he joined the ACM Natural Language Processing RSO. He was also a Software Developer Intern at ESPO Engineering Corporation.

Ridas has found this award both affirming and helpful. He describes feeling behind as he started the challenging computer science curriculum after transferring. He worked hard to get up-to-speed and has put his full effort into succeeding in the classroom.

“This award means both that my effort has been recognized, and that the incoming transfer student shouldn't feel like they don't belong when they see how much others know or have achieved; that'll be them one day if they try hard enough,” Ridas said.

As graduation nears and Ridas is job hunting, the award has lessened the financial stress. He can search in peace and enjoy his last few months as a student and with his peers.

Looking toward the future, Ridas wants to find a job that challenges him, lets him learn new skills, and provides a healthy work-life balance. He hopes to have a family to spend quality time with, travel, and explore the outdoors.