Danylo Kukanov was keen for more education and an international experience. Enter Niagara College, which offered both for this native of Ukraine.
In addition, Kukanov met many people along the way who helped him succeed during his time at NC. And for that, he’s grateful. We catch up with him to learn what’s next.
Danylo Kukanov
Hometown: Kremenchuk, Ukraine. Currently living in Toronto.
Age: 23
Academic achievement: Dean’s Award, School of Media, Computer Programmer (96% GPA).
How do you feel about receiving the Dean’s Award, achieving the highest GPA in your program?
I didn’t expect that award but I am really glad I achieved that.
To what factors do you attribute your academic success? What motivates you to succeed?
Studying is hard. You need to apply all your efforts to succeed. My personal motivation is curiosity. Since childhood I wanted to know everything.
What led you to study at NC and to your program specifically?
I am a hardware engineer. To fulfill my knowledge in electronics, I decided to study software as well. Together that allows me to build and program electronic devices
List any other postsecondary credentials (diplomas, degrees) you have achieved as well, institution you graduated from and graduation year:
Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Bachelor’s degree in System Engineering (2019).
Why are you passionate about your field of study?
Programming allows you to express your ideas and create incredible things. Moreover, it greatly increases your problem-solving skills.
Do you have a specific career goal in mind?
My ultimate goal is to create my own startup. For now, I need to get more experience.
What was your situation when you enrolled at NC?
After getting my bachelor’s degree, I decided to get additional higher education in another country because that will not only give me more skills and knowledge, but also help me to learn English.
How did you find your program experience – any highlights?
I feel grateful for the professors who taught me: Marsha, Peter, David, Melissa, Mark and others. They noted my skills and helped me in my future career. Thanks to Marsha, in particular, who insisted on hiring me in the Research and Development department.
Did you face any challenges over the course of your study?
The main challenge for me was the amount of writing. I am not the best writer even using my native language. Thanks to my friends, I learned the patterns and after some practice, writing became much easier for me.
What is it like to graduate at this time during the COVID-19 pandemic?
On the one hand, remote studying allowed me to be more flexible with my work schedule. On the other hand, I miss the college spirit. Virtual activities feel plain.
What do you think you will always remember about your time at NC?
I think I’ll always remember the Research and Development department where I met wonderful people.
What have you been doing since completing your studies?
I want to share my experience with people. In the near future, I plan to start contributing code to open-source projects on GitHub and GitLab, populating the ideas of free software.
