There was a little bit of stigma around women in STEM when I was a child. So going out to speak to other girls about this course was my way of encouraging someone to pursue their dream.
Meet Kashish – Bachelor of Computing Science Honours student
Why UTS?
Kashish, a 4th Year Computing Science honours student, was seeking to find a uni that will nurture her passion for coding while providing an exciting learning environment. She had developed a passion for coding while in high school.
“I came to UTS Open Day while in high school, and I loved how cool the uni felt. The facilities were amazing, the environment was lively, and the course coordinator for the Computing Science info session spoke so well about Data Analytics and AI major that she left me convinced these would be my areas of focus when I join. With the choice of degree sorted and a fun and exciting atmosphere established, I knew my experience at UTS would be great.”
An enriched UTS journey
Kashish indeed enjoyed a valuable learning experience, but it is her involvement in extra-curricular activities that summed up a holistic varsity journey.
“I volunteered on orientation days, walking around to welcome potential students to uni and assist them with any directional questions they may have. I was also part of the team that ran campus tours, ensuring that visiting students, who came to uni to find out more about the different courses we offered were well-informed on where to go during the visit.”
I worked as a sprout for both the faculty of IT and for the Women in Engineering and IT (WiEIT) department. My role at WiEIT involved visiting different schools and talking to girls about studying IT and Engineering as a woman, hoping that I could encourage them to consider studying the same. I also worked as a uni ambassador who supported students joining uni in their first sem to have a seamless transition. Lastly, I worked as a systems admin for UTS careers where I oversaw the career hub.
UTS cadetship program for the win
Kashish interned for Transport NSW for one and a half years thanks to her being enrolled in the course cadetship program. This program runs for a long period compared to normal internships, which allow students to study and work for a certain period in their degree. Students will earn a salary while studying which is an attractive package they enjoy.
“I worked as an intern within the data quality team for about a year and a half to improve the services provided by Transport NSW. My role involved making dashboards for all regional NSW that contained customer information, then store the dashboard on cloud for protection and to build trust with the involved parties. The info would be used to influence decisions transport NSW makes for commuters especially in the case of a crisis. An example of this would be when analysing how many customers have gone through gates at a train station. We would investigate this based on how commuters tap their opal card when going through the gates daily for a certain timeframe. We would then use the data we have collected to determine where changes need to be conducted perhaps if we foresee a situation may arise that would affect customers. The data collected basically allows Transport NSW to make more informed decisions on operations that would affect customers in general.”
Her advice to prospective UTS Computing Science students
Kashish believes her journey at UTS was holistic and wholesome based on her various experiences, academics, work and volunteering experiences. She would encourage girls especially to consider studying Engineering and IT at UTS based on her enriching journey that was not biased based on her gender.
Learn more about UTS Bachelor of Computing Science (Honours) and Programs and Scholarships.
