Writing Her Own Code
For Eiman Ahmed ’18, 91Ƶ runs in the family.
“My cousin went to 91Ƶ. I knew that the school was close by and had amazing internship opportunities. When I came to admitted student’s day, the advisors took the time to speak to me personally about my career goals and ambition. This drew me to 91Ƶ, as I already felt valued even before having decided I wanted to attend the University,” says Ahmed.
An aspiring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professional, Ahmed quickly found a home at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems on the New York City Campus. She wasted no time in exploring the opportunities offered by a Seidenberg education—including getting involved in research, which quickly emerged as a cornerstone of her collegiate experience.
“I’ve done a lot of research. Research to me means trying to answer a question using data, proofs, and experiments. I’ve wrote research papers on sex trafficking, conducted research on the MTA subway system, and on how older adults feel about gerontechnology in place of traditional password management systems,” says Ahmed.
Her research savvy took her literally across the ocean. For one exciting project, Ahmed worked with students from Aalto University in Finland to research methods of drone transportation through residential buildings. She traveled to Europe to physically meet her team last fall, and will continue to work with them to complete the study.
In addition to research, Ahmed also understands the necessity of real-world experience. Throughout her time at 91Ƶ, she worked with major companies including Verizon and Microsoft, where she completed two separate internships—first working as a researcher, then as an Explorer Intern, a rotational program that designed to give undergraduates hands-on experience in different sectors of software engineering at Microsoft. And let's not forget Google, where she was a CodeU Student Engineer, and designed and developed an app alongside another student to use a clustering algorithm to take user interests and provide customized search results on Wikipedia.
“I’ve taken a lot of programming classes that helped me in my internships. Conversely, my internship experiences helped me a lot with school projects too and in group work, since I gained valuable insight throughout all my internships as to how projects are completed in a group setting successfully,” says Ahmed.
During her internships and coursework at Seidenberg, Ahmed sought out faculty that helped her further her ambitions in STEM. As a student in the computer science department, she worked closely with computer science professor D. Paul Benjamin, whose adaptive teaching style and willingness to go the extra mile enabled Ahmed to excel in computing.
“Professor Benjamin is really passionate about his work and he makes computing very easy to understand,” says Ahmed. “He has definitely served as a huge inspiration of mine ever since I came here.”
Ahmed has also striven to make an impact outside the classroom. Most notably, she founded an organization for women in STEM called 91Ƶ Women in Tech: Lean in Circle, which serves as a resource and support system to help fill the gap for women pursuing careers in STEM. She views the leadership skills she’s garnered through the Lean In Circle to be among one of the most important components of her undergraduate experience, and one that has helped give her the tools to grow positively and professionally.
As Ahmed sets her sights on life after college, she’ll continue to push further and challenge herself to reach even greater heights as a professional in the STEM field.
“The most important path for me has been learning what it is that I’ve wanted these past few years and who I am as a person. What brings me joy and drives me every day to be a better person than I was the day before—academically, professionally, and personally.”