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UC computer science student starts career with Google

In August, Kurt Lewis will start work at Google in product infrastructure

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4 minute read December 12, 2018
Kurt Lewis

UC computer science student Kurt Lewis. Photo/Provided

Kurt Lewis’s philosophy on cooperative education is to seize opportunities while you have the chance. That’s what led him to co-op with software giants such as Siemens PLM Software and GE Digital, as well as Etegent Technologies, a research and development-focused company of 25 or so employees.

“I got the chance to jump around and learn what I really like in a company and what makes me excited to come into work,” says Lewis, a computer science student in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).

These experiences also led him to his dream company. As Lewis prepares to graduate May of 2019 from UC, he looks forward to starting a full-time job with Google.

In August of 2019, Lewis will move to the San Francisco Bay Area to work at Google in product infrastructure. There he will focus on the different services that Google products interact with – for example, Google Play services for phones, Google payments infrastructure or the Google sign-on feature on multiple platforms.

“I’m excited about working at a company where so many people use their products,” says Lewis. “I could be working on a service that’s used thousands of times an hour.”

Lewis, who is from Warren, Ohio, came to UC as a computer science student, an interest he developed as a junior in high school. He had always had a knack for the field, developing messaging systems and chat applications after he learned the basics of coding. 

“I had a very supportive programming teacher in high school,” says Lewis. “Within the first two months of his course, I knew what I wanted to do in college.”

Lewis at his computer during a hacking event

UC student Kurt Lewis at his computer during a hacking event. Photo/Provided

Lewis’ older brother attended a university with a prominent co-op program, so from an early age he knew he wanted a similar experience. For Lewis, UC’s claim to having the first co-op program ever certainly drew him in, but it was more than that, he said.

“One thing UC really sold me on was the structure of the co-op program,” says Lewis. “They have all these resources for students that I didn’t see at other schools.”

Lewis took advantage of resources like UC’s online database, co-op fairs and co-op advisors. Through co-op, Lewis gained valuable professional experiences in his field, which included developing hard and soft skills and, just as importantly, he found what he wanted to do after UC. 

Lewis speaking to a classroom

UC student Kurt Lewis speaking to a classroom of students. Photo/Provided

“I have learned a lot about myself, particularly the type of company that I want to work for,” he says. “I had no idea that company culture and my fit with the culture really even mattered before I did co-op.”

In addition to learning from co-op, Lewis attributes his success at UC to his involvement on campus. He is a CEAS Ambassador, a member of the Association of Computing Machinery at UC and the former director of RevolutionUC, an organization that hosts weekend-long hackathons. These experiences helped him develop his passion for software engineering and establish some lifelong friendships.

Halfway through his senior year at UC, Lewis reflects on his time on campus: “Before I came to UC, I was nervous about finding a job after graduation. But all of UC’s resources really made me feel confident.”  

With Google on the horizon, Lewis now feels confident he made the right choice. 

Featured image at top: UC computer science student Kurt Lewis speaks to an auditorium of students at RevolutionUC's annual Hackathon. Lewis served as director for two years for RevolutionUC. Photo/Provided

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