ScienceOlympiaNZ

Jamie McCloskey

I first participated in the IOI in 2008 in Egypt. I returned as a contestant for the three following years, winning three bronze medals. After my time as a contestant was over, I continued supporting the NZ team by tutoring the students, and returned as the deputy leader of the team in Italy in 2012.

I now live in Sydney and work at Google leading a software engineering team. My life would be very different without involvement in NZOI. Professionally, I wouldn't have thought of even applying for a Google job in Sydney if one of my fellow contestants hadn't mentioned it as a possibility. The skills I learned through informatics contests set me up well for the job. On a personal level, I'm still in touch with many of the folks who I met through NZOI, and have friends from different countries around the world that I would never have otherwise known. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity.