Meet Graduate Armita Shahmoradikhorrami

Armita Shahmoradikhorrami is ready to graduate from University of Maryland in August 2022. With a major in Cyber Security and Network Engineering, Armita is planning to head directly into a career in Information Technology. Initially hearing about Nvolve from a professor, she “realized it could change [her] life.” After joining the program in Spring 2021, Armita quickly bonded with her mentor, a technology professional, and began attending weekly huddles with her scholar cohort. One of Armita’s key take-aways from “mentoring sessions and guest speakers” is “the distinction between school and work environments.” Even though they may have some overlap, it is important “to understand the intricacies of a professional environment and learn how to thrive in one.” The Nvolve program provided her with valuable information with monthly topics such as “teamwork, negotiation, [and] giving and receiving feedback.” Armita also conducted two team projects in data visualization as part of the Science & Technology Program. Using data from the Bureau of Transportation, she created a dashboard to illustrate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on airline travel. She also researched a correlation between mental health illness and the pandemic for five U.S. states. Through these real-life research experiences, Armita not only learned how to use the Tableau software but also applied “techniques discussed in weekly huddles … to better communicate with team members.” Finally, Nvolve was an “important resource” as she began to apply for technical internships. Her mentor reviewed her resume and helped her practice for interviews, boosting her confidence “before applying for any job.” After graduation from college, Armita intends to “stay with Nvolve as a volunteer to help the program grow.”

Throughout the entire process, Armita’s “amazing” mentor was Ms. Terri Jensen, a Technical Product Lead at the National Security Agency. Having “similar personalities” allowed Armita and Ms. Jensen to “communicate easily.” During her college years, Ms. Jensen “was greatly impacted by [her own] advisor, and she had “been looking for the opportunity to pass along that experience.” She describes Armita as a “bright, energetic, creative, and empathic young woman” and knows that she will “make a positive impact in the technical world.” For Ms. Jensen, mentoring through Nvolve has “truly been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences to date.” She enjoyed listening “to the thoughts and real-life stories of strong, intelligent young women” and hopes she was a positive influence on their career paths. As Armita wisely noted, every university “needs to have a similar system to the Nvolve program to teach each generation how to prepare for the future.”