Cameron Crone recently arrived at Illinois State University as an incoming junior having transferred from Sauk Valley Community College in his hometown of Dixon. He’s here to study computer science. To help with that effort, he was awarded a technology scholarship called the Mark J. Cyphert Scholarship.
No stranger to campus, Crone’s sister, Calista, is a senior and their dad, Dana, is a 1987 graduate.
“I took the official visit but had visited my sister and been here with my father, too,” Crone said of his familiarity with Illinois State. “Plus, it’s pretty close to home, and I like the idea that my sister is here and my dad went here.”
Despite the many times he’d been to campus, he still arrived with some jitters.
“I’m not a freshman, but you don’t want to look lost even as a transfer student,” he said.
To get here, Crone worked hard in school and had a summer job at a nursing home to save some money. He said he couldn’t have done any of it without the support of his parents, Annette Miller and Dana Crone, his sister, and his grandparents, whom he was always close to since they lived nearby as he was growing up.
At Dixon High School, Crone finished third in a class of around 200 students. In junior college he was president of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, an academic honor society. He plans to bring that same dedication to his classes at Illinois State. He liked computers from a young age, and his enthusiasm only grew once he reached the college level.
“At community college I took intro computer classes,” he said. “My computer science teacher, Professor Kevin Megill, definitely influenced my choice of career path.”
Crone, 20, plans to use his studies to narrow his focus and decide if he’s going to pursue a career in software or programming. He’s excited about the next two years and confident he’ll soon have even more knowledge to help him decide how he wants to spend his working life.
“I’m not 100 percent sure yet what direction I’ll go,” he said. “But I’ve loved every computer science class I’ve had, so I know I’m in the right spot.”
His plans also include exploring some registered student organizations and having some fun along the way as time allows. Besides having his sister in town, he also has his best friend from home as his roommate in an apartment they’re sharing. He’s also a big fan of disc golf and will be checking out some local disc golf courses. Always a serious student, Crone is coming around to the idea that it’s important to have a nice balance between school and a social life.
“It’s OK to have some down time, so I’ll definitely get involved in some clubs and hang out with friends and visit home too,” he said. “But I do like to focus on academics, which will be my primary focus. I’ll always put that first.”
Read about all of the students featured in our “Newest Redbirds” series at News.IllinoisState.edu.
