New College student Shweta Mogalapalli moved to Canada five years ago. “But I’ve never felt like an outsider here,” she says.
“My favourite thing about Toronto has to be its multicultural diversity,” says the graduating computer science student.
And she has certainly made herself at home both in Toronto and in the Faculty of Arts & Science. In addition to being a Microsoft student partner as well as a computer science peer mentor and student ambassador at U of T, Mogalapalli served as an executive member and eventually the president of UofTHacks — a 36-hour hackathon now entering its seventh year.
“It's a lot of fun,” says Mogalapalli of the hackathon. “And the computer science department has always patiently guided us and answered our numerous questions in organizing the event.”
Her reliance on the extensive resources of New College and the Department of Computer Science is no doubt a part of her success.
“My advice for students is to not hesitate to reach out for help,” says Mogalapalli. “Professors, TAs and even upper-year students are always willing to answer questions and help in any way they can. And take advantage of the vast number of events hosted by computer science and other clubs on campus to meet people and make meaningful connections. Networking is very important, not only for career development but also personal growth.”
An accomplished student, Mogalapalli completed a specialist degree in computer science along with a minor in mathematics.
Her favourite courses were in the computer systems area, on topics like scalability — the ability of a system to grow and manage increased demand — and parallel computing, where multiple system processes are executed at once in order to solve several problems simultaneously.
Next year, Mogalapalli will continue her relationship with Microsoft. After working as an intern in the company’s Seattle office for two summers, she will now join their Azure IoT team as a full-time software engineer.
“I’m excited to work on challenging problems that are both interesting and impactful,” she says of her upcoming role. “And I’m looking forward to learning from all the brilliant and experienced people at Microsoft.”
Her time in Toronto has prepared her well for her budding career.
“The great thing about studying computer science here is the access to the city’s huge tech sector,” she says. “There are a vast number of tech companies and startups in Toronto.”
“And computer science at U of T has some very good resources like workshops on career development and doing research as an undergrad, as well as mentorship programs. The professors are very approachable and easy to talk to. Back in first year, I remember asking a professor for advice on how to get experience, which led to a summer work position.”
Mogalapalli then set out to share her extensive knowledge of campus resources by volunteering as a peer mentor.
“I made sure that, as a mentor, I gave students the advice that I wish someone gave me back in first year. Mainly things like navigating the different areas of computer science, resources available in the department, ways to get experience, dealing with career fairs and interviews, creating resumes and applying for jobs.
“I loved sharing the knowledge I gained.”
Mogalapalli joins 881 New College students as they cross the stage to receive their diplomas today, ready to face the future.
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