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

When William Chen joined the Align program, he felt a sense of purpose and dedication rippling across the student body. Now a full-time software developer at Amazon Web Services, he credits his time in the program for teaching him how to work in a large team environment.

The co-op was an excellent way for me to get exposure to what it feels like to work on a large team … And understanding what work culture is through that co-op, I was able to get a return offer for a full-time position

William Chen, Align MSCS ’21

Anna Daccache had been interested in public health for some time — but it wasn’t until discovering the Align program that the opportunities she was looking for opened to her. When she got to work on a co-op with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, their data-driven approach to health care helped her feel that she was making an impact where it mattered most.

I was really excited … to do high-impact work, especially in a space that I personally care about and feel connected to. … Khoury focuses so much on marrying your experiences rather than erasing one and putting CS or data science on top of it, so I felt really supported

Anna Daccache, Align MSCS ’22

---