Meet Cade Kennedy, a second-year master’s student in Computer Science at Tennessee Tech University. Kennedy’s path into the world of computing started with a lifelong love of gaming. Technology has always felt natural to him, and that early curiosity made the move toward Computer Science feel both certain and exciting.
Upon graduation and acceptance into his master’s program, Kennedy’s pathway took an unexpected turn when he enrolled in the newly offered Intro to Quantum Computing course at Tech. The class completely reshaped his thinking, revealing a field he once assumed was out of reach. As he began to grasp the core concepts, he realized not only that he could understand quantum computing, but that he could work and thrive in it.
“It cannot be overstated what participating in this course means to me,” Kennedy said. “I had always heard of quantum computing, but I thought it required skills beyond what I had. Dr. Ismail’s course showed me that this was far from the truth.”
Under the guidance of Dr. Muhammad Ismail, Director of CEROC and Associate Professor of Computer Science, Kennedy began to see quantum computing not as an intimidating frontier but as an achievable and exciting new direction. And this would not be the last time CEROC played a role in his journey.
Throughout his time at Tech, Kennedy’s involvement with CEROC proved pivotal, from touring EPB’s Quantum Network to connecting with professionals through networking opportunities that would lay the groundwork for the fellowship he would later earn with EPB Chattanooga.
He is now one month into a one-year Quantum Software Engineer Fellowship with EPB, an opportunity that is already expanding his skills far beyond the traditional TTU master’s curriculum. Through the fellowship, Kennedy is becoming more well-rounded in a rapidly emerging and ever-changing technological landscape. “This fellowship has helped me strengthen my knowledge in the most important concepts of quantum computing, making me more employable in an extremely new technology,” he said.
As Kennedy looks back, the importance of his course with Dr. Ismail has not been lost on him. “Finding the confidence to learn something as intimidating as quantum computing was incredibly important,” Kennedy said. “I walked in thinking quantum computing was beyond my reach. I walked out knowing it might be my future.”
As he prepares to walk across the stage and accept honors once again, his reflections on the journey have not only helped him refine his own goals but have also shaped the advice he offers to students navigating their own academic paths.
“Never give up,” Kennedy said. “Everything happens for a reason, even if it feels like the worst possible outcome at the time. You never know which opportunity will change everything.”