For a time, Katie Lowen was touring internationally as a contemporary dancer. But when the pandemic closed down theaters, she sought another avenue to develop herself. Now, earning her master’s in computer science through the Align program in Vancouver, Katie finds herself immersed in a career path she’d never imagined.

I thought if I could work as a contemporary dance artist and also be able to do things on the technical side, it would open the doors [for me] in the arts world

Katie Lowen, Align MSCS ’23

After seven years as a paralegal, Tiffany Lastimosa became frustrated with her company’s inefficient system for processing data. Taking the initiative to improve it, she came across the Align program — and has come a long way since then.

I don’t have a background in any STEM field, so trying to tackle computer science, I was definitely nervous. I wasn’t sure what the future might look like for me, but the Align program was super helpful

Tiffany Lastimosa, Align MSCS ’22

After three years of working as a tax accountant, David Maunder was looking for a profession with more room for creativity. The Align program unlocked that freedom for him – since the start, he’s worked on projects ranging from hand gesture recognition to VR world design.

It’s really nice to be able to kind of focus on a project that’s yours and you can kind of control the creative process. They really push and inspire people to follow their creative passions

David Maunder, MSCS ’22

For Rachit Mehta, experiential learning is the key to a well-rounded education. Between his internship at Amazon Web Services and his classes in the Align program, he built confidence in multiple areas at once — and set himself up for post-graduation success.

The whole goal of the AWS internship is that they’re gonna teach me what it’s like to be a developer in a full-time capacity … It puts things in perspective that you can still make a difference even if it’s a big organization

Rachit Mehta, Align MSCS ’23

At AWS, Align alumnus Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi works as an SDE1 – Amazon’s equivalent of an entry level software engineer. Although her position at the company is fairly new, she feels a tremendous sense of responsibility toward her work in protecting clients’ data.

As soon as I started, my opinion was this is what I want. I want to come back to AWS and work here full time. I feel a great sense of responsibility towards the individuals who will consume or use the products and services that I create

Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi, Align MSCS ’21

Cecilia Lopez has long been passionate about computer science. But after majoring in linguistics, she was unsure when to take the CS leap. Enrolling in the Align program on a whim, she found a world of career opportunities — proving that it is never too late to pursue new interests.

Nowadays, every company is kind of a tech company … so getting a master’s in computer science is going to open up a lot of possibilities

Cecilia Lopez, Align MSCS ’24

Aida Sharif Rohani was ready to shift away from chemical engineering, but she struggled to find a master’s program in computer science that didn’t require a matching bachelor’s degree. Discovering the Align program opened a door for her to pursue her interests, ultimately leading her to a supportive community at NASA, where she currently works as a machine learning engineer.

All of my coworkers at NASA Ames and USRA, they were very welcoming … I had some doubts to … starting a master’s, but right now where I am I’m happy that I made that choice. Especially for people like me without the background in computer science, it’s a great opportunity

Aida Sharif Rohani, Align MSCS ’21

As a Division I college football player, Tim Crawley had a packed schedule that made it impossible to prioritize his favorite classes — resulting in a bachelor’s degree in a field he wasn’t passionate about. As an Align student, he pursued his passion for computer science and soon began seeing his desired career take shape.

The students here, everybody who I’ve met so far has been great. It’s a strong sense of camaraderie here. It’s cool to see where everybody started out, what everybody pursued before this, and it’s kinda cool to see where we can go

Tim Crawley, MSCS ’24

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