Mats Angermo Ringstad, a master’s student in the Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering is the best IT student in Norway “Pretty exciting feeling,” says the 24-year-old.
Ringstad was honoured at the Universum Awards on Wednesday, May 5.
“I am very grateful,” said the 24-year-old, who was recognized for having excelled academically and for having shown great commitment outside of his formal studies.
This is the eighth year that the “student of the year” has been chosen under the auspices of the international consulting firm Universum. The nominees have been selected by fellow students based on their involvement in the study environment and their excellent academic results.
The engineering organization Nito and the software company Opera were among the companies represented on the jury that selected Ringstad.
People notice
The protagonist himself is currently in the last phase of writing his thesis in computer science about flexible system development. He had already been offered a job in October last year, with the IT consulting company Acando in Oslo. A few weeks ago he received an email from Universum saying that he had been nominated for the award, and was asked to submit his résumé and grades. Then he heard nothing until Monday, when he sat on a bus on his way to Nannestad and a seminar for new employees at Acando.
“When I was told that I was chosen, it felt totally unreal. This show that people notice when you show that you are engaged and are dedicated outside of your studies, while still managing to be academically strong. Potential employers also notice that,” says Ringstad.
Rewarding positions
The 24-year-old from Kabelvåg in Lofoten was head of the Online student association in his third year. He has been a student assistant and a teaching assistant. During the last two years he has been the faculty trust representative for students at the IME Faculty. Last summer he went to a three-month-long entrepreneur school in the US, where he worked at UC Berkeley and at a start-up company in Silicon Valley. He says that it is rewarding to do something that other students benefit from, mentioning his work in the student association and as a trust representative.
Internship at Opera
“And the prize?”
“A week internship at Opera. A little in Oslo, and I can choose one of their overseas offices. The Japan office is the most tempting,” says the happy student, who assures us that he would much rather have such a prize than money.
“I can start making money in August,” he says.
This year’s economics student was Javad Mushtaq at the Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, while Maria Teresa Bezem at the University of Bergen received the prize as the technology student of the year.
“It doesn’t seem quite real to me yet,” said Norway's best computer science student, Mats Angermo Ringstad.
Mobile photo for friends & family - happy winner with flowers and diploma.
