Nestor Kaputo, a recent Perimeter College honors graduate, knows the right guidance can make a big difference.
During his time as a Perimeter honors student, he earned the Dean’s Award and was named a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.
Now a junior majoring in computer science at Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus, Kaputo is looking forward to guiding other Perimeter honors students as they transition to the Honors College downtown. He is one of the very first Honors Mentors selected by the Honors College at Perimeter.
“I know I was able to be successful because I was surrounded by people who showed me the right way at the right time,” he said.
The Honors Mentors program, established this year by Honors College Associate Dean Lauri Goodling, selects and trains student representatives who successfully bridged from a two-year to a four-year degree program while remaining engaged in the honors community. Eligible students must maintain a 3.5 GPA and host at least four mentoring events or activities each year.
Among Kaputo’s personal mentors are his uncle and several Perimeter College Clarkston Campus faculty members. His most current mentor is Yubao Wu, assistant professor of computer science at Georgia State, who supervises Kaputo’s research assistantship in the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group.
When he’s not studying or researching, Kaputo, originally from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, likes to explore for new experiences.
“I enjoy driving, traveling and discovering new places,” he said. “I love interacting with people, embracing new cultures and diversity. I also enjoy playing soccer.”