Hometown
Aurora, Illinois
Major and Graduation
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Master of Science in Data Science, Expected Graduation: 2023
Student Organization Involvement
Co-founder of Women in STEM
Why did you choose your major/what do you want to do with your degree?
I chose to study computer science as there are so many career paths I could take with that degree. I could always pursue my interests as the skills I would learn in my degree are applicable in almost any field.
What is your favorite thing about the Camras Scholars Program?
The program emphasizes professional development and leadership - two things that are very important to me. All the events hosted have been very beneficial to my growth.
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
In 20 years, I hope to be a source of inspiration for women and people of color who want to enter the tech field. I want to be a director of data science at a well-known company or be a founding member of a start-up while also growing a family.
How do you think you best represent what it means to be a Camras scholar?
In Spring 2021, my team won first place in Rewriting the Code's hackathon. We made a website where people can easily search for food banks in their zip code and see the concentration of food banks per zip code through an interactive map, making it easier to access and support food banks. I was also a SoReMo fellow that Spring in which I analyzed patterns in Illinois Tech’s undergraduate admissions data and performed statistical tests to verify significant biases found in admissions. I delivered a research paper that targeted gaps in the admissions process that can be fixed to increase equitability by 10%. WiSTEM, an organization that I co-founded, was awarded Best New Student Organization of the Year for the 2020-2021 academic year. I was also selected as a finalist in Meta's Data Challenge. I will be interning there as a Data Scientist this summer.
Contact
Email: akhan92@hawk.iit.edu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/~alishakhan/