Years before she entered the University of Cincinnati's School of Information Technology (SoIT), Sage Bushstone was already making a name for herself as a teenage member of the region's thriving IT scene.
It was, in fact, during her freshman year at Cincinnati-area Loveland High School that she served as the captain of her VEX robotics team, igniting a passion in technology that would carry her to the student-run INTERalliance organization, which helps students explore the region's IT industry via collaborative activities, paid internships and more.
"I worked my way up to become the chief information officer and led the tech team in putting on the annual TechOlympics event," explains Bushstone. "I would definitely credit INTERalliance with my initial interest in IT, and then it was kind of fate that UC had the Early IT program so I could continue."
In addition to her involvement with the SoIT's Early IT program, which teaches the first-year curriculum of UC's Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) program within area high schools, Bushstone also took part in the school's Early IT summer camp. This experience opened the door to an internship opportunity with Kroger Technology.
Though she certainly had options when planning her higher education journey, ultimately UC's commitment to providing real-world working experiences for students convinced Bushstone to join UC's BSIT program for her undergraduate studies. "I really appreciated the co-op program that UC has built into the curriculum," she says, referring to the SoIT's program that rotates paid work experience and classroom instruction every semester following a student's freshman year.
For her first year at UC, Bushstone moved into an off-campus apartment within walking distance of classes and took a heavy courseload (18 hours) of mostly second-year classes that built on learnings from the Early IT program. "I really enjoyed that first year. I made some very good friends in that first year that I'm still friends with to this day," she says. She points to the support she received through the SoIT's Student Success Program, highlighting the mentorship and guidance she's received over the years from the SoIT's Assistant Director of Student Success, Alana Calhoun. "I see value in that program for incoming freshmen," says Bushstone, who herself served as a coach last fall. "People should not feel worried about the courseload because there are people to lean on."
"In her role as a coach to first- and second-year SoIT students, Sage distinguished herself through her professionalism, leadership and genuine ability to connect with others," says Calhoun. "She not only related well to her students, but also guided them in developing concrete, sustainable plans for achieving success throughout the semester and in their long-term academic journeys."
During her first semester, Bushstone says she spent a lot of time searching through co-op opportunities in preparation for on-the-job learning experiences. This hard work paid off when she secured a co-op internship with Fifth Third Bank in spring 2024, an experience she followed with a second co-op with the banking institution the following semester.
"I have done two co-op rotations with Fifth Third Bank," she says. "One was in master data management, kind of a data-engineering role. The other was in the data strategy organization and more of a web development role. I also co-oped at ADM doing data engineering this past summer."
She also was able to self-design an honors experience during that first year of college, choosing to develop a website for her mom's vegan cooking instruction business, Sumac and Sage. "That was a fun project," says Bushstone. "And I think looking back, I would probably change a lot of things about that project as I worked on it - which maybe tells me that I have learned some things!"
Over the course of her time in the BSIT program, Bushstone's experiences inspired her to become a dual-track IT major too, adding the data technologies track alongside her pursuit of an education in software development. "After my first co-op with Fifth Third doing data engineering, I realized that I really had a passion for data engineering," she explains. "I would say the co-op program as well as the data tracks were formative for me in recognizing my love of that field."
Bushstone decided to take advantage of the SoIT's IT Accelerated program as well, which allows students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in information technology or cybersecurity to complete both a bachelor's and master's degree in just five years. "I was interested in adding more rigor to my courseload to become a more competitive candidate entering the workforce post grad," she says. "So I appreciated that."
Bushstone describes her overall experience in UC's BSIT program thus far as "very solid," with an appreciation for her classes and the way in-class instruction directly relates to internship and co-op experiences. She values that she's been able to take classes in both the software development track (now offered as the standalone BS in Software Application Development) and the data technologies track. And as a UC student, she's been able to pursue university activities beyond the SoIT, too, such as her experiences planning the IT Intern Summit, a day of professional development & networking sponsored by the CIO Roundtable of Greater Cincinnati and supported by the INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati.
"That initial contact came from the Honors program where I was taking an Exploring Leadership course. Our group had to do a project that required us to take on some sort of leadership role," she explains. "I reached out to one of my contacts at INTERalliance to see if they might need some help." She continued as a part the planning team for the 2025 summit as well, gaining invaluable experiences and connections. "I appreciated this experience because it not only grew my leadership and project management skills, but it also exposed me to IT professionals within the industry."
Though Bushstone is driven by a passion for information technologies, she appreciates that the rigors of UC's BSIT program still leave her time to pursue outside passions, especially her love of singing. A one-time member of UC Choruses, today she performs as a member of Cincinnati's May Festival Chorus, the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Cincinnati Pops. "We've got four big concerts coming up in May, so it's a lot of preparation for that," she says.
Bushstone also points out that she currently serves as the president of the UC Star Wars Club. "I enjoy being able to do extracurriculars outside of IT," she says. "The level of difficulty in the program is such that I'm learning a lot, but it still allows me to get out there and try new things."
With May Festival practices in full swing and an upcoming co-op experience with Cincinnati Insurance Companies this the summer, Bushstone is staying busy while completing a spring semester of in-classroom instruction. And she's grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the IT world she's so interested in. "I've appreciated the classes I've taken," she says. "I feel like they've prepared me well for my co-ops."
Featured image at top: Sage Bushstone outside of UC's Teachers-Dyer Complex on a sunny day. Photo/CECH Marketing
