Garcian Mairs overcomes rocky start to achieve first class honours

WHILE THERE were points along her tertiary journey that seemed unclear, at no time did Garcian Mairs grew uncertain about her desire to become a computer scientist. Despite having to restart her degree programme and not knowing exactly how she would have paid her tuition, Mairs persevered. Today she is among the esteemed first-class honours graduates from the School of Computing and Information and Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, University of Technology, Jamaica with a bachelor of science degree in computing (Computer Science Major).

Mairs who received her well-earned degree at the UTech, Jamaica graduation ceremony on November 17, shared, “My journey to pursuing this degree has been rocky right from the beginning. I knew I wanted to pursue a degree related to information technology, at the time and a BSc in management information systems (MIS) at another prominent college was the other best option accessible to me,” noting that she had missed UTech, Ja’s application deadline.

All was going well with her studies until the end of her second year when she was notified by the institution that the programme was to be discontinued. “When I started my MIS studies, there were only six of us pursuing the degree. After completing the first two years, three of my classmates chose not to continue and as such, the college discontinued the programme and awarded each of us an associate degree for completing the two years.”

The disappointment she felt as a result was inconsequential compared to her determination to finish successfully what she had started. Mairs explained that it was during that setback that she was redirected on the path she initially hoped to sojourn to attain her undergraduate qualification from the University of Technology, Jamaica. “Upon learning about the discontinuation, I reflected on the fact that UTech, Jamaica was where I wanted to be to begin with and so I applied to pursue the computing degree,” Mairs noted. “It was after being accepted that I became a firm believer of the saying; everything happens for a reason,” she added.

Mairs had yet another challenge to surmount, and that was the issue of funding her tuition. “Pursuing the degree at UTech, Jamaica, my primary challenge was the lack of finances. This was particularly daunting because restarting my BSc journey from the beginning would be costly.” This led her on a sedulous search for scholarships and grants and with the help of her father, she was able to rest those financial worries. “My father had heard about Hanover scholarships and grants available specifically for Hanoverian students and encouraged me to apply.”

Having maintained a consistent GPA above 3.5 for those three academic years at UTech, Jamaica, Mairs noted that she was able to secure several grants and scholarships through the “University of Technology, Jamaica 60th Anniversary Scholarship, Hanover Charities, Tryall Fund, Ministry of Education and National Commercial Bank.” Thankfully too, restarting her journey came with the blessing of course exemptions, credit transfers and early completion of her degree.

This, however, required Mairs to make the arduous sacrifice of “taking no fewer than five modules per semester, along with summer semester modules.” She shared that it was in those moments that she truly valued the support of her parents who constantly motivated her. “Their sacrifices and compromises were instrumental in shaping my current position in life,” she acknowledged.

With her financial doubts settled, the UTech, Jamaica high achiever explained that she was then able to refocus on the real matter and passion at heart – her studies. Elaborating, Mairs noted, “I have always been interested in information technology, more specifically the coding aspect and how it contributes to and alters society. Computer science is a versatile field and finds applicability in a wide range of industries and, as such, provides a vast number of career opportunities.” Mairs started her professional journey as a junior developer with Epic Technologies, allowing her to see the early blooms of her labour and also to being a witness to the relevance and the lucrative nature of the discipline and her acquired knowledge. She also indicated that she secured her job opportunity after attending the university’s annual job fair in her second to last semester.

Now a budding computer science professional, Garcian Mairs relishes the blissful memories of interacting with her batchmates and lectures, especially after the COVID-19 measures were lifted. In addition to pursuing her master’s degree and entrepreneurial ventures, Mairs plans to mentor other computer science students, particularly females, given the male dominance in the industry.

For current students, she has this advice: “Discover the passion in your pursuit and dedicate yourself to it. Do not compare your journey to that of others: comparison is the stealer of joy. You might encounter challenges such as absent group members, financial difficulties, or setbacks, but remember that everyone progresses at their own pace.”

As one who persevered from a rocky start to a remarkable finish, Garcian Mairs further encouraged current and future students to prioritise their education as it is “incredibly empowering” and “will be worth it”.