After years of work uplifting women in computing, Jodi Tims was excited to discover the Align program’s commitment to increasing diversity in the field. Now serving as the Associate Dean of Network Programs for Khoury College, she aims to create even more opportunities in tech for students of all backgrounds.

Seeing the impact that the program has on the student’s life, hearing their stories, getting chances to talk to them about how much they appreciate the program, and then connect with them again after they graduate and find out that they’re being successful. That’s the ultimate thing that we’re doing in this program … we’re serving students and giving them opportunity

Jodi Tims, Associate Dean of Network Programs

For Andrew Lucia, the biggest draw of Khoury College was the co-op program. Securing a co-op with cybersecurity company K logix helped him find footing in his career early, bolstering his confidence and leading to his first job out of college as a penetration tester.

It was kind of crazy to actually see myself now compared to when I arrived — all the stuff I just feel comfortable doing. … Computer science can be a tricky field, but you got to stick with it, and if you do, you’re going to find success that way

Andrew Lucia, BSCY ’22

When Ujwala Ramakrishna discovered the Align program’s mission to make computer science accessible for all, it prompted her to move away from the career she had been preparing for in environmental science. Now she helps students navigate their own career transitions.

I think we’ve done an incredible job of changing the field, and I hope that in the next 10 years, Align is able to continue to make that change in industry and give a voice to people who have traditionally been left out of the conversation

Ujwala Remekrishna, Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Graduate Student Services

When Bruce Maxwell’s sixth-grade teacher brought an Apple One into class, he had to know how it worked. That excitement for new technologies has guided him through his career, and now he finds joy in teaching students who will shape the field’s future.

It’s just fun to be part of something where you are continually learning, continually having to innovate … I really enjoy being a professor because I get to watch my students go out and do amazing things

Bruce Maxwell, Assistant Director of Computing Programs – Seattle

Within only one month of starting her co-op at Outcomes4Me, Victoria Bowen noticed others at the company were starting to ask her for guidance, a credit to her skills as a quick learner and the lessons she learned from Khoury College on how to be a responsible team member. Empowered by the supportive environment at Outcomes4Me, she wants to advocate for other young women to gain access to tech opportunities like hers.

Computer science is constantly changing. So when you go into the workplace, you’re going to be learning new technologies that maybe you haven’t seen in the classroom. It’s good that you have that base of knowing how to collaborate and work in a team environment

Victoria Bowen, BSCS ’23

With a graduate degree from the prestigious Juilliard School, Armen Sarkisian was firmly on the classical music track. But with the desire to learn wildly different skills and forge his future in tech, he traded New York for Silicon Valley and joined Khoury College’s Align program.

I was at a point in my life where I was ready to learn new skills, try something completely different. The Northeastern Align program was the most complete, and the most geared toward people just like myself who were looking for this change, who were from a totally different background

Armen Sarkisian, MSDS ’23

For Becky Mashaido, the draw of Align was straightforward — a master’s program in computing that offered access to San Francisco’s tech pioneers, but did not require an undergraduate CS degree. And after finding a unique and uplifting sense of community there, she made it her mission to uplift others.

I took the help that I received, and now I’m giving it back to other students … it’s an awesome environment

Becky Mashaido, Align MSCS ’22

Alvaro Monge works hard to make sure his students can always see a way forward. Whether it’s guiding them toward success on their homework or in their early careers as computer science professionals, he feels it’s important that his presence as an educator makes a difference where it counts.

The thing that really defines success for me is a student having been heard, and providing them with a way forward, be it academically because we pointed them in the right direction, or be it that we connected them with an employer or be that we pointed them to the right resource so that they could do their homework that day, or that they were able to prepare for an upcoming interview better. Coming home at the end of the day, if I know that I’ve made a difference, in one way or another, that’s been a successful day

Alvaro Monge, Assistant Dean and Director of Computing Programs – California

When Zadie Moon took an Intro to Computer Science class in her junior year, it was the first time she’d ever felt excited about her homework. Now pursuing her master’s through the Align program, she says support from her professors has helped her feel at home in her new field.

Entering into CS when you don’t have a CS background can be really challenging. Luckily the professors here have been super supportive and understanding that a lot of us come from different backgrounds and don’t have knowledge in the concepts that we’re learning. They present them in a way that’s super understandable and they work with you when you don’t know what to do

Zadie Moon, Align MSCS ’25

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