Empowered by Gettysburg’s breadth and depth of knowledge and enduring skills, Taylor Gaw ’13 has shaped a career in computer science. Support of Gettysburg faculty and experiential learning helped Gaw identify opportunities to succeed in his career development.
As Taylor Gaw ’13 researched colleges in the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions during his junior year of high school, he was looking for a college experience that would provide him with hands-on, experiential learning that took knowledge beyond the classroom. Gaw, a senior software engineer for Sync Computing, built the foundation for his career in computer science at Gettysburg College.
“Having the resources available to me to make sure that I was as successful as possible was attractive to me,” he said. “Gettysburg had experiential learning as an offering.”
Gaw, who came to Gettysburg from Kinnelon, New Jersey, anticipated studying business based on his family’s background in business and finance. After taking diverse classes within Gettysburg’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum, however, he encountered a newfound breadth and depth of knowledge about subjects outside his business courses.
“I came across a computer science class that struck a chord with me, and it seemed like something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said. “The exposure to different courses shifted my career interests in a different direction.”
Through his coursework as a computer science major, Gaw gained an appreciation of listening to others and hearing different perspectives. These opportunities complemented a well-rounded academic experience that included building enduring skills such as communication.
“I took a class on Christian saints. My First-Year Seminar was on anarchy and anarchism. Having these other perspectives and other worldviews helped me realize there’s more to it than just myself,” he explained. “Working with other students collaboratively in the classroom, having to work with other professors, and taking a leadership position within Greek life—all of those played a part in being able to communicate ideas effectively so that I could work effectively with others.”
Gaw especially valued the knowledge he gained from Computer Science Prof. Todd Neller. “He was constantly tinkering and was always trying new things,” Gaw explained. “He loves games and has a passion for ‘I see a problem. I’d like to solve it, and I know how I could solve it with computer science.’ As I progressed in my career and got more experience, I found myself doing a lot more of the same thing. I really appreciate his passion for the craft.”
Knowledge and skills shape career foundation
With the support of faculty mentors like Neller, Gaw leveraged the knowledge and enduring skills fostered through the Gettysburg Approach to enter the computer science field.
“My first couple of jobs in tech support required a lot of interpersonal relationships with clients and being able to communicate effectively,” he said. “As I was gathering knowledge and using the problem-solving skills that I learned through my different courses at Gettysburg, I was able to apply more of my computer science knowledge to the problems that I was facing in the workplace, and I eventually was promoted to a software engineering position.
“Being able to take an idea and transform that into a full-on product is a lot of what I do as a senior engineer—having conversations with external stakeholders, drawing plans, explaining how we got to that idea, getting their perspective, and seeing how our product fits their needs. These are the skills that I use that I learned from my time at Gettysburg.”
Gaw also attributes the communication and leadership skills he relies on daily to perform his work at Sync Computing to his experiences serving as social chair and president of Alpha Chi Rho. Through this role, he helped promote the fraternity’s public service activities to the Gettysburg student community and raise awareness for its work.
In addition to his academic and service work on campus, Gaw took advantage of unique Career-Ready Experiences during his time at Gettysburg. After serving as an accounting intern for Ardsley Partners in Stamford, Connecticut, in 2010, and as a sales assistant for Cartridge World North America in Ramsey, New Jersey, the following year, Gaw realized his passion for computer science. In 2012, he landed an internship as an IT engineer at Village Computer in Bernardsville, New Jersey, where he gained hands-on experience troubleshooting computer problems and engineering computer solutions for customers.
Upon graduating from Gettysburg, Gaw worked as an assistant webmaster for Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore before moving on to technical solutions analysis and software engineering jobs for global companies such as AOL and Amazon and small businesses in the health care, advertising, cloud infrastructure, and e-commerce industries.
Paying it forward through mentoring and philanthropy
Today, Gaw is paying it forward for the next generation of computer science students at Gettysburg by establishing The Taylor Gaw ’13 Endowed Fellowship. This endowed fund eliminates barriers for students interested in participating in internships in computer science and data science fields by providing stipends for living arrangements, travel, and other needs while completing their internship.
Last year, during Homecoming Weekend, Gaw returned to his alma mater to meet with and mentor current computer science students, advising them take advantage of Career-Ready Experiences and resources such as the Center for Career Engagement. For Gaw, the spirit of philanthropy shared from generation to generation among his family inspires him to support Gettysburg College.
“The job market right now is far more competitive than when I was graduating,” he added. “Getting some mentorship from alumni or doing internships and other experiences that will help them get a leg up against the competition is really important.”
Gaw also recognizes that the consequential education he received at Gettysburg College stays with Gettysburgians for life. It includes the powerful connections with the Gettysburg Network of fellow alums like him who are dedicated to supporting students in any way they can. “These are lifetime connections that you have forever,” he said.
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By Michael Vyskocil
Photos provided by Taylor Gaw ’13 and Miranda Harple
Posted: 10/07/24
