UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nikita Page’s decision to attend Penn State was literally left to chance.
The now alumnus of the College of Information Sciences and Technology was intent on attending a different university in the region. But his mom suggested that he at least visit Penn State before making his decision. So, he made the trip to State College from his home in New Jersey, and immediately fell in love with the campus, the people and the community.
"Penn State is this amazing community of research buildings, residential areas and a lively commercial downtown,” he said. “I had never experienced that before.”
He went home and flipped a coin, leaving his choice of where to attend college to heads or tails.
Penn State won — and so did Page.
“I’ve realized since then that that was absolutely the best decision I could have made for my education,” said Page, who earned his bachelor’s degree in 2017.
He started in the University’s aerospace engineering program, and soon realized that his interest in rockets was more in the computer systems that powered them than in thermodynamics and fluid concepts. His friend suggested that he explore the College of IST, and Page was immediately drawn to its programs’ focus on the intersection between business and technology. He changed his major to information sciences and technology in his junior year, working hard to meet the entrance to major courses needed pursue the integration and application option.
“I wish I would have known about IST much sooner,” said Page. “That’s when I decided that I was going to try to do everything in my power to bring more people to the college and help others be aware of the program.”
He started as a student, joining multiple organizations while balancing a heavy course load. He served as president of the IST Student Government, as the IST student representative on the Penn State Faculty Senate, as the IST representative on the University Park Undergraduate Association, and on the DLAC sub-committee on student data privacy. Additionally, he was president of the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity and sat on the executive board for the annual Penn State Movin’ On music festival.
Page’s involvement has remained strong as an alumnus. For the last four years he has been a member of the IST Alumni Society Board, which provides opportunities for the college’s graduates to connect with each other through networking and events. They also connect alumni with current students through initiatives like an active mentorship program, placing alumni speakers and panels in IST classrooms, and connecting alumni and the companies they work for with student organizations for networking and professional development activities.
“One of our goals is to show IST students how our experiences in work and in life went for us after we graduated, and to guide them on things they can do to strengthen their skillset and improve their chances of getting an internship and getting a job.”
Page has participated in several recent opportunities to engage with IST students: he spoke on an alumni panel in a classroom and led a networking and case study activity for students during IST ConnectX at the Westgate Building in March, and participated in a virtual IST Identity Talks: Strength in Diversity panel in April.
“The IST Alumni Society Board exists primarily to foster the growth of alumni,” Page said. “But students are really just a few years away from being alumni, so we need to focus our efforts to engage them, as well.”
Page, an IT audit manager with Microsoft, finds networking with students and providing them with career advice especially rewarding. After his recent interactions with IST students, several reached out to him to ask specific questions and seek further advice.
"There is a solid approach to professional development through IST’s Career Solutions office — from best practices and checklists to one-to-one coaching and resume workshops,” said Page. “I like to support that by talking with students about my personal experience, coming from someone who is a few years ahead of them in their professional career.”
According to Page, this is especially important in the information technology industry, which is constantly and rapidly evolving.
“Technology is one of those things that changes every year, often outpacing politics, outpacing legislation and outpacing curriculum,” he said. “I tell students to absorb all that IST teaches you foundationally before they go into the workforce—such as how to work on teams and how to communicate technical information to businesspeople; that’s what IST really excels at. You’ll always be learning new technical skills on the job, simply because technology is changing so rapidly.”
He continued, “It’s one thing to be an excellent coder. It’s another to be able to sell that code to the businessperson that’s financing your venture. That’s something that IST does better than any other college, because it has classes and faculty from both the technology and business worlds.”
Page is a living example of how that solid IST foundation can lead to career success. In his role with Microsoft, he explores the company’s business and technical processes, identifies risks associated with those processes from a technical perspective, and determines how to mitigate those risks.
“Thanks to my IST education, I’m very good at understanding risk mitigation and understanding what risks can be associated with things,” he said. “I can go into a meeting with some of the best subject matter experts in the world in their respective areas and ensure that they have the appropriate controls in place to protect (information and processes) and prevent malicious activity.”
While Page puts his IST education to work in his day job, he applies the minor he earned in digital entrepreneurship and innovation toward his passion as an accomplished DJ and music producer. His original music and remixes have been featured on Spotify and SoundCloud, and he has performed across the country at venues including Groove Cruise Orlando.
He has cultivated success in part by building an online following — something he credits Penn State with providing him the skills to do.
“My digital entrepreneurship and innovation minor specifically teaches you how to sell yourself in an online world,” he said. “That’s very important simply because it’s no longer the day of going door to door and selling things like the entrepreneurs of the past had to do. Today it’s all about how you market yourself online.”
In addition to promoting his brand as a DJ, Page is using his growing online presence and music platforms, as well as his full-time position, to support an important global cause: the war in Ukraine. Page was born in Sevastopol, a city on the Black Sea of Crimea and a contested region between Ukraine and Russia. He has gotten involved in Microsoft’s promotion of cybersecurity in Ukraine and raised money through his music industry networks and matched by Microsoft to support organizations assisting with humanitarian relief efforts related to the war.
“(There are no words to describe) when your cultural identity gets challenged because the country of where your culture comes from invades the country where you were born,” he said. “I still have family and friends back there and am in tune with the daily implications on their lives. I’m doing everything I can from over here to support them.”