Jason Or

Purdue University - Cybersecurity Major
Paly, Class of 2022

Updated February 2026

Q: What was your experience going to Paly?

A: I felt that Paly prepared me well for the college experience. A lot of students have a hard time adjusting to college life in their first year, but I feel like I was already used to the way courses and schedules are structured from high school.

Q: How did you decide which college to attend?

A: It was relatively easy for me because Purdue awarded me the Presidential scholarship which covers $10k per year, and also my brother attended there from 2018-22.

Q: How did you decide on your major?

A: I originally wanted to major in Engineering, but I felt that physics wasn’t something I wanted to pursue studying, so I branched out based off of what I like and other people’s suggestions, along with my own research into recent topics of the world (what skills are most needed for jobs, what sounds interesting, etc.)

Q: How has RTE impacted your life?

A: RTE has given me a lot of mentorship about how to tackle problems not only in college, but also prepared me for after that. My mentor Laura always sent me opportunities that I could look at for jobs and internships. She also checked in on me regularly, which was something I really needed as I procrastinate a lot on job searches and tedious tasks.

Q: What has college been like for you? Describe your challenges and successes.

A: It went by in a flash. I still feel like I’m a freshman student to this day. It was a really fun experience, meeting new people and making friends that I’m sure will be with me even after college. I learned a lot of skills that will be helpful in my future career, not to mention paving a path for my future itself.

Most of my challenges lie within the courses I’ve taken at Purdue. They are extremely time consuming and frankly brain wrecking. I sometimes don’t even know what I am studying until the due date of certain labs and assignments. However, through perseverance I’ve repeatedly gone past what I thought to be impossible to understand, and learned a lot of fascinating new things. My professors at Purdue really helped out when I reached out to them for help.

Q: What is your goal after college?

A: Recently, I got accepted to Carnegie Mellon University for their Information Security Masters Program. It was my top choice for graduate school, so I’m really looking forward to going to Pittsburgh for the next year before coming back to the Bay Area job hunting.

Q: What advice would you give to your high school self?

A: Stop being so afraid to put yourself out there. Make new friends and meet more people. It could lead to so much more just to have a few more connections in this world. Someone you’re friends with may be the next CEO of a major company. It never hurts to meet new people.