Sergeant E.F. Stephen Kortum is stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina with his wife and six-month-old baby girl. Kortum’s job is to help handle transportation logistics for the United States Marine Corps. At 24 years old, he has already traveled the world.
Kortum, a 2009 graduate of Troy High school, said he owes much of his success to his time at Questar III BOCES. Kortum completed the Academy of Information Technology (AIT) at Questar III’s Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy. He was also enrolled in Questar III’s Challenge Program at Tamarac Secondary School.
In the AIT program, students work towards a Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) Certification. They learn about computer systems and how to install, configure and troubleshoot computer networks.
Kortum said School Social Worker Jane Govola and Teacher Deb Dedeo pushed him to have higher expectations for himself and to learn how to troubleshoot life’s experiences.
“Before Questar, I was having trouble in school and trouble with other people; I was probably going to be a drop-out,” said Kortum. “But the staff at Questar wouldn’t let me fail, it felt more like they personally wanted to see us succeed opposed to it just being part of their job.”
Although he enlisted in the military for another year, Kortum plans to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and is interested in pursuing a career with Cisco.
