Ahead of the curve: Outstanding Senior Joshua McCoy

Senior Joshua McCoy can remember getting his first computer when he was seven or eight years old. Just logging on and browsing websites for cartoons fascinated him. Now, McCoy is graduating from the W. P. Carey School of Business with an undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems. In his three years at W. P. Carey, he accomplished enough to be named 2011-2012 Outstanding Graduating Senior Finalist.

Senior Joshua McCoy can remember getting his first computer when he was seven or eight years old. Just logging on and browsing websites for cartoons and being able to print pictures on his own fascinated him. Now, McCoy is graduating from the W. P. Carey School of Business with an undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems after just three years at ASU.

McCoy is not one to shy away from a challenge. In his three years at W. P. Carey, he accomplished enough to be named 2011-2012 Outstanding Graduating Senior Finalist. According to Michael Goul, chairman of the information systems department, “[McCoy’s] record of academic success and overall accomplishments in three years far exceeded the records of his peers who were at ASU for four or even five years.”

Fast tracked from the start

McCoy came to W. P. Carey from Marcos de Niza High School with a plan. From the beginning, he knew everything he wanted to accomplish while in college and quickly saw a unique opportunity. “From my analysis and my planning, I realized that I could do everything that I wanted to do in three years. It has allowed me to enter the job market earlier and it made me that much more marketable to employers,” said McCoy.”I could say that I had the commitment to get my college degree done in three years with high grades and a host of leadership experience that W. P. Carey facilitated. It has definitely been a challenge, but it was well worth the investment for me.”

McCoy is ahead of the curve with his desire to graduate early, but he is a testament to what students can still accomplish within a compressed and rigorous academic schedule. The Arizona Board of Regents, the State Legislature, the State Governor, and ASU administrators all consider a three year graduation track ideal and are now implementing wide-ranging schedule changes to help students achieve the new standard.

Even with his academic schedule, McCoy found time to serve on Department of Information Systems Club’s (DISC) executive board, play a vital role in the founding and expansion of CIS Ambassadors, be an active participant and mentor in the McCord Scholar’s program, and also mentor other students through the National Association of Black Accountants. DISC has a reputation for developing leaders within the information systems department.

During McCoy’s second year at ASU, he served as a member of their executive board. “I was tasked with increasing participation within the Avnet technical games that occur throughout the year. That was a unique challenge in that I was working with the executive board, the students, and the representatives from these technical games to get things done and push the competitions so students were aware of them and actively participating,” said McCoy. “Ultimately, the CIS department gave me the opportunity to take on challenges I would not have otherwise and grow both personally and professionally.”

CIS Ambassadors

Beyond his work with DISC, McCoy has been an asset to the Information Systems department by helping start a new club called CIS Ambassadors. The members of the club serve as official representatives of the CIS program when business leaders, community leaders, or potential students want to a glimpse of the information systems program from the student prospective. “For example, there was a dinner for the Avnet CIO and a group of ambassadors was able to attend and explain what the program is, communicate with him, and ask him questions about his career.

There was another representative coming from a company a couple weeks ago and an ambassador helped escort the representative around the school. We are the bridge between the department and these companies and the business school as a whole,” said McCoy.

McCoy is especially proud of the CIS Ambassadors because of the opportunity it gives members to mentor first-year students. The concept for the club developed out of the department’s need for official representatives, McCoy’s desire to give back, and the hard work of several of McCoy’s peers. “I wanted to give back and help the next generation. To start Ambassadors I really just took advantage of the department’s resources. It wasn’t just me who came up with it. It was a mixture of people who had suggested the idea. From there we made the club a concrete entity,” explained McCoy. Through the McCord Scholar’s Program, one of the most prestigious scholarship programs offered through W. P. Carey, McCoy has remained active in community service and helped mentor Joshua Valdez, a first-year student Computer Information Systems major.

Beyond his desire to mentor other students, McCoy has a strong desire to give back to organizations that helped him grow. The National Association of Black Accountants holds a special significance for McCoy. “[It was a defining time in my life when I] decided I was going to do business. I was a participant in the Accounting Careers Awareness program through the National Association of Black Accountants as a junior or senior in high school. The experience solidified my idea of what a career in business would look like and the opportunities that were presented in the IS department,” said McCoy.

The same program that helped introduce McCoy to IS and the W. P. Carey School of Business also likely influenced McCoy’s career choice. After graduation, McCoy will be working for Deloitte in its technology risk department. In this department, McCoy will help companies with fraud prevention and test their internal controls around technology.

This ensures that data flows between different systems within a company are secure and protected against attacks. “Deloitte was one of the companies I had on my radar for a long time in terms of having a great professional reputation and being well respected within the CIS community. So when the opportunity presented itself, through a former teaching assistant I had, to work for Deloitte during a summer internship I jumped on it,” said McCoy. “I wanted to take advantage of it, get immersed in the culture and see what the people were like. I really enjoyed the company culture and the people. That made the decision that much easier for me when they asked me to work full time for them after graduation.”

Faculty mentoring

McCoy credits the mentoring he received from W. P. Carey faculty and staff for much of his success. Specifically, McCoy found the guidance he received from Assistant Professor Greg Dawson and Senior Lecturer Matt McCarthy particularly rewarding. “During my second year at ASU I was able to take Dawson’s course ACC 444. His class ties in directly with what my job is going to be. He was able to make it a very teachable course and I learned a lot about internal controls and skills that I could apply to my internship,” said McCoy.

McCoy worked closely with McCarthy, including building a mobile app under his guidance. “I have known Matt McCarthy since my first year. We came up with a differential diagnosis tool that would help streamline the healthcare process,” said McCoy. “We were able to build a Windows 7 phone app. It was a lot of work, but McCarthy, being the group advisor for us, really helped us develop ideas and get things done.”

Outside of the Information Systems department, McCoy credits Dr. John Eaton for having an impact on him. “Every time I went to his class I was excited to learn what he had to say. On a personal level, getting to know him outside of class and discussing our mutual interests and sports and the business behind that was really fascinating,” said McCoy. “He has had a profound influence on me in terms of opening my eyes to some of the benefits of marketing and other things you can do with a marketing degree.” McCoy looks forward to leveraging all he has learned as an undergraduate student with W.P. Carey as he begins work with Deloitte after graduation. “I want to be immersed in the culture of Deloitte and learn as much as I can about consulting and technology risk,” said McCoy.

But in the future, McCoy plans to complete an MBA and would love to come back to W. P. Carey. Afterwards, McCoy will likely move to Silicon Valley where he plans to work with technology companies to get the insider’s look in how they operate. “I want to see what goes into their processes for these companies that are changing the world. I want to get to know their thought process and how I can tribute to their goals,” said McCoy. --Photo: Andrew Farquhar