For almost a decade, Mark Miller headed educational technology investigations at Apple. Now a professor in the Align program, he feels a strong connection to the program’s mission of broadening participation in tech — the very issue he’d been tackling for years.

I keep running into former students who are
now out there in industry with their dream job. And some of them did not feel confident during their first class in the Align program, so it’s really gratifying to see them then be successful

Mark Miller, Part-Time Lecturer

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

---