Software Engineering Program (SEP)
Yakob Getu is a third year Choose Ohio First (COF) scholar majoring in Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. He is focused on full-stack software engineering and building tools that make everyday tasks easier. This past summer, he completed a five-week internship with JPMorgan Chase. During the internship, he improved an internal phonebook website using React/TypeScript on the front end and Java (Spring Boot) on the back end, worked with a team on a robotics challenge, and attended workshops on databases, cloud, Python, Java, and JPMC internal tools. His experience centered on turning ideas into working software while learning how large teams ship reliable products. He practiced agile teamwork, testing, version control, and code reviews, and he shadowed teams to see how different roles connect to deliver solutions. Mentorship from his manager and peers helped him grow confidence in problem-solving and communication. Hearing from leaders, including Jamie Dimon, reinforced the value of curiosity, ownership, and customer focus. Yakob enjoys helping other students through COF and aims to keep building useful, accessible software. He plans to pursue future roles in full-stack and platform engineering and bring these skills into his career after graduation.
Impact of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program
"Choose Ohio First has helped me a lot beyond financial aid. Through COF events and CIR Chats, I met other scholars and staff, so campus feels smaller and I know who to ask when I’m stuck. They pointed me to tutoring, advising, study spaces, and career tools I actually use. The workshops made my resume and interview answers stronger. COF also encouraged me to do a WBL, which led to my JPMC software internship and a clearer idea of where I’m headed. Overall, COF keeps me connected, supported, and moving forward".