Student eyes a bright future thanks to BCIS major

Megan Henlisia had gone to several different open houses while she was researching her post-secondary options. Her impression of Mount Royal sealed the deal for her.

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A self-described introvert, Megan Henlisia came to Mount Royal from small-town Alberta, knowing no one. New to the city and to campus, Henlisia entered the Bachelor of Computer Information Systems program right out of high school and says although it was a scary transition, it didn’t take long for her to feel she belonged.

“MRU really does feel like a community. It doesn’t matter what program you’re in, you really do get to know your profs. The sense of community here is a lot stronger than at bigger universities.”

Henlisia had gone to several different open houses while she was researching her post-secondary options. Her impression of Mount Royal sealed the deal for her. “It just seemed like the professors and the students really care about you, which wasn’t the sense I got at other schools.

“Being able to move here and immediately getting along with the people in my program and in the extracurriculars I did, it was just a very good feeling. I was quite a quiet kid in high school. I’ve definitely come into myself a lot being here.”

Henlisia joined the Improv Club and lived in Residence in her first two years, both of which helped her make social connections quickly. With smaller class sizes and professors who take an interest in each student, she found it didn’t take long to build good relationships with the people in her program. “The students are all just very respectful of each other, and I know we’ll stay connected after graduation.”

Henlisia says the BCIS program opens doors to many different career paths. “You can be a programmer, you can go into data analysis, business analysis or project management. It really depends on your own interests. As you progress through the program you really find out what you’re good at and what you really enjoy.”

Henlisia likes the business side and thinks she’ll eventually go into project management. She’s learned she’s good at stepping back and seeing the bigger picture, listening to what people need and communicating very high-level technical concepts to a non-technical audience. It was during her first required work term that Henlisia really realized how well the courses were preparing for her chosen career, and that has continued to be the case. “It feels like every assignment we complete has a lot of practical merit and I’ve been given the tools to excel in a career. It is exactly what I need for the future.”

May 26, 2020