| Meet, Uzma Bhaiyat | |||
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Hometown: Queens, NY |
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Uzma was one of the few women to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Engineering from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering this past May. She spent 4 years undertaking challenging courses such as Multi-Dimensional Calculus and Fundamentals of Electronics. Uzma decided to begin her journey in engineering when she was introduced to computers as a child. Her uncle taught her the basics and the different software that were available at the time. Uzma continued to stay curious and wanted to understand how computers worked and what exactly made them such well-oiled machines (for the most part!). |
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Aside from her Uncle’s lessons, Uzma is also inspired outside of the realm of engineering. One of her inspos includes Michelle Obama. “Her passion for education, especially for young girls of color is so inspirational. It definitely made me more interested in the education aspect of STEM which I plan to pursue in the future *fingers crossed*. I think it’s so important to be educated in STEM related fields, especially at a younger age when the mind is able to grasp so much more information.” Uzma has prior experience with education through non-STEM tutoring, Robotics Instruction and teaching Game Programming. Uzma plans to return to school for a Masters in Education. “Michelle Obama’s pursuit for education is a dream that I share and I would love to engage myself in opportunities to provide for children of color to engage them in engineering.” |
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How would you describe your experience in academia, specifically in Computer Engineering? |
I won’t lie, my journey at NYU was one of the hardest things I’ve had to face. It was definitely a challenge, but a challenge that I welcomed because i was determined to make it out as a successful female in engineering. Computer Engineering as you may know is a mix of both software and hardware. Initially, I struggled with the software aspect because i was never really introduced to it before I entered college. Albeit, as junior year came around and I took more hardware related classes, understanding the software behind programs made more sense to me. I found myself more in love with the hardware side of computer engineering because i am a hands on person. But understanding how the hardware works made me understand the software behind it much more. It made me see that both aspects go hand in hand, incomplete without the other. My senior year, I was a software developer at a startup by the name of Node Capital and I fell in love with software. I also stayed in tune with the hardware side while doing my senior design project. My academic story was a roller coaster in terms of what I enjoyed and didn’t, but in the end I fell in live with computer engineering as a whole, something that i initially thought would not be possible. |
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As a woman of color myself, my advice to you would be to shoot for the stars even when it seems impossible. Sounds a bit cliche but trust me, don’t underestimate the potential you have because of the color of your skin or anything that makes you different. Your differences are your strengths. Use them as such. Block out the negative voices that may say you can’t do it because you most definitely can. Only you can stop yourself from reaching your highest potential. It’ll be a bumpy ride but it’ll be worth it in the end, I promise. |
What advice would you give a young coder of color? |
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Uzma is undeniably astounding with many accomplishments and more to come! Of course, there can never be all work and no play.” I love going on spontaneous adventures and I combine my love for photography with that. I have a passion for taking photographs of anything and everything. Other than that, I love to just hang with friends and the basic, watch Netflix (currently watching Breaking Bad for the first time on my train commutes lol)” |
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