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Fiona Boskovic ’25 and Anja Logan ’24 are developing impressive career paths in computer science. 

Boskovic has interned with Microsoft for each of the last three summers, working on Chat GPT and other open AI services. Logan interned this summer at Disneyland, where she was part of a tech team working on the ticketing app, and before that she had internships at Rockwell Automation, EnviroAI, and Code the Way. She’s now pursuing her Ph.D. in biostatistics at the University of Minnesota with plans for a career in data science.

At St. Olaf College, they had ample opportunities to learn and hone their skills in computer science — from taking challenging classes with supportive professors, to participating in hackathons and leading student organizations, to receiving funding from the Piper Center for Vocation and Career to attend the national Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Yet for both Boskovic and Logan, the reason they chose to attend St. Olaf wasn’t solely because of the strength of its computer science program. It was the opportunity to major in computer science while performing with the college’s renowned music ensembles and participating in its top-ranked study-abroad programs — all while being part of a vibrant and tight-knit campus community.

“I was able to get a harp scholarship here, which a lot of schools only allow you to be eligible for if you’re majoring in music,” says Boskovic, who is majoring in computer science with a concentration in business and management.

As a member of the St. Olaf Band, Logan toured Japan for two weeks in the summer of 2023. She performed in concert halls in cities from Hiroshima to Tokyo, collaborated with local Japanese concert bands and wind ensembles, and had a variety of sightseeing and cultural learning opportunities — all completely cost-free for St. Olaf student musicians thanks to a unique fund established several years ago.

Boskovic has studied abroad on two of the college’s signature faculty-led programs. Last year she traveled to New Zealand as part of a course that studies the ecosystems that support growth and entrepreneurship in one of the most innovative countries in the world. This year she traveled the world as part of the college’s Global Semester. On campus, she’s involved in four student organizations: Linux Ladies Organization for Diversity in Computing; Women in STEM; Game Design and Animation; and Pamilya Pinoy, a club that shares and celebrates Filipino culture with the St. Olaf community.

“I really enjoy the mix of liberal arts and computer science work,” she says.

Logan — a computer science and math major at St. Olaf with a concentration in statistics and data science — was also a leader of Linux Ladies on campus. In addition to playing in the St. Olaf Band, she played in the student-led horn choir and the St. Olaf Philharmonia Orchestra. All of those experiences, she says, enabled her to make friends with interests far beyond computer science.

“Being an Ole has meant so much to me,” she says. “I love having so many friends from different majors across campus.”