Arshnoor Kaur Chadha, BS in Computer Science 2025

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the TAPIA conference this year thanks to a generous CICS scholarship opportunity and support from the Dean, Erika from CICS Diversity and Professor Swanier. I applied for the scholarship in the summer of 2023 and was fortunate to be one of the few attendees representing UMass. To prepare for the conference itself, I made sure to get multiple copies of my updated resume and practiced an effective elevator pitch. To further enhance my readiness, I participated in a workshop conducted by CICS Careers and Paramount, which helped me understand how to navigate the conference successfully.

During my preparation, I made use of the official app for TAPIA called Whova, to research and shortlist companies and individuals I wanted to connect with. This allowed me to know which representative to talk to from the company of my interest. The app also allowed me to engage in one-on-one conversations and build valuable networks. As an example, I had a chance to talk one-on-one with a representative from Schell Games, and learn about their fellowship program. The experience of applying and preparing for TAPIA was instrumental in making the most of this fantastic opportunity.

Reaching Dallas, Texas for the conference, I was taken aback by the amount of people who were actually there. This gave me a chance to connect with like-minded individuals who had similar interests in computing as me. From 9:00am-5:00pm for 4 days, I was constantly learning something new, and building new connections. I also had the opportunity to attend talks, and learn about new topics that I was extremely interested in. The two talks that stood out to me the most were “Time Series Biomedical Imaging and Computational Epidemiology'' by Sampson Akwafuo, Blessing Ojeme and “Amplifying the Voices of Women in Computing” by Professor Cheryl Swanier, Cheryl Seals and Katrina Hutchins.The conference provided a unique platform for networking and connecting with a diverse group of peers and professionals. Since returning, I have been trying to utilize the connections I built at TAPIA, and apply to internships that stood out to me during the conference. This experience helped me understand better what I want and also opened my mind to new possibilities. I am extremely grateful for CICS for such an amazing and invaluable experience.