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For Jing Wang, chasing perfection is a hobby and one hes very good at. Today, Wang graduates as a member of University College with a specialist in computer science (with focuses in artificial intelligence and theory computation) and a major in mathematics.

Over the course of his degree program, Wang obtained a cumulative grade point average of 4.0, as well as a mark of 100 per cent in 18 of his courses. He also won a staggering 15 major scholarships, and one of three Governor General's Silver Medals bestowed on the most academically outstanding graduating students. Now, hes looking forward to a brilliant new career as a software engineer.

Many students struggle with mathematics, a subject in which youve succeeded brilliantly. To what do you attribute your success?

The most important thing is that I really enjoyed my courses! I think that a love of math played a very important role in my success because it takes a lot of effort. Many of my courses were quite intellectually challenging and sometimes the workload was very high, but I just liked them so much. I always had the energy to push forward to perfection.

Math can be challenging. You need to be able to understand and write proofs. This requires logic and a clear understanding of each definition so that you can prove your argument. Professors spend a long time just teaching students how to write proofs, and when they pay close attention they do very well. Thats pretty much the core ability you need to achieve a high mark in any math course. Once you know how to work with logic, you can pretty much learn anything if you put time into it.

Math has so many applications, computer science being one of them. Was that a subject that always interested you?

I was fascinated by computers when I was young, even when I didnt know how they worked. But as soon as I started to learn programming, I realized I had the potential to build the same kind of thing myself. So that was fascinating, and it was the first program I considered pursuing at the University of Toronto. Everything is digitalized now; everything we do depends on computer systems in one way or another. So I knew that by studying computer science I would get key skills I needed to find a job or start my own company.

In computer science its harder to get a perfect score than it is in math; coding is less obvious than writing proofs and you need to think about how to explain your ideas clearly. You can certainly do well, but its harder to be perfect.

Youre very interested in the theoretical side of computers. What are some new developments in that field that interest you?

Right now were seeing the rise of large language models, the most prominent example being ChatGPT. Thats had a huge benefit in our lives and I think well soon see more development in that area. There are still many fascinating open questions in theoretical computer science, most famously the P vs NP problem the idea that every problem whose solution can be quickly verified can be quickly solved. Someday, I hope well see a solution to that one.

I understand that your studies included a one-year internship. Can you tell me about that?

I did a software engineering internship after my second year as part of a program called the Professional Experience Year Co-op (PEY). I worked at Veeva Systems, which provides software for the life sciences industry. They said theyd like to welcome me back, so Im very happy about that. It was my first experience in a professional setting: I was able to see how the knowledge I learned in class could be applied to real world problems. I also developed some key skills like teamwork, since writing software always involves teamwork. Overall it was a very meaningful experience for me when I returned to the classwork after one year I felt so much more prepared.

What does the future hold for you?

Right now my plan is to return to Veeva Systems as a full-time software engineer. I really like the company and its values. Thats the short term. In the longer term I think maybe someday Ill return to university. Ill continue to develop my career in the software industry, and eventually work in a leadership position in that field.

Any final words before graduation?

Im really thankful to the university because this long journey has been so meaningful. My professors were so nice and so knowledgeable, and I can really say they were role models for me. Often when I submitted final exams, I didnt want to say goodbye to a lot of the courses because I liked them and remembered so many things about them. I was very happy learning here; I think Ive improved so much in math and computer science, but also in the general area of learning and critical thinking.

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'I always had the energy to push toward perfection': Jing Wang shares his secret to academic success - Faculty of Arts & Science