Virginia Tech Innovation Campus welcomes six new Boeing Scholars
This fall, new graduate students matriculated into the Master of Engineering programs at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia. In this class are six Boeing Scholars: Britney Aiken, Alejandra Caceres, Winton Ebanks, Hannah Lyons, Dane Sebring, and Faaria Syed.
The scholars are interested in topics ranging from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity. Some are pursuing their master’s degres full time, and others are completing their graduate degrees while working in positions such as software engineer at Boeing and computer scientist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
“The diverse perspectives of these scholars are an asset in the classroom and ultimately to the tech industry,” said Kirk Cameron, faculty lead and associate vice president of academic affairs for the Innovation Campus. “I look forward to all they accomplish as students and upon graduation.”
Courses are taking place at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church while the campus’ first academic building is under construction. It is scheduled to open to the public in fall 2024.
Boeing, a foundational partner of the Innovation Campus, has invested $50 million to support sustainability, diversity, innovation, and the computer science and computer engineering tech talent pipeline.
Prospective applicants can learn more about our scholarship opportunities.
Meet the fall 2023 Boeing Scholars
Britney Aiken
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer science
Current position: Systems Development Engineer, Amazon Web Services, Arlington, Virginia
Undergraduate: George Mason University '22
Major: Information technology
“I want to encourage more women to pursue careers in engineering. I don’t want young girls to think that they cannot do something just because they don’t see other women doing it. I want to be an example and show them that women can not only succeed in this field but also help create history.”
Alejandra Caceres
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer engineering
Current position: Full-time student, former undergraduate research assistant at Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech '22
Major: Computer engineering
Minor: Spanish
“I am an immigrant who, despite facing many obstacles to get where I am, does not want to stop at a bachelor's degree. All these years I found ways to achieve my goals and aspirations. My parents taught me that I can accomplish anything through hard work and determination, which is something I have put into practice since I moved to the United States at 14.”
Winton Ebanks
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer science
Current position: Software engineer for Boeing; former engineer, U.S. Army, Fort Moore, Georgia
Undergraduate: American Military University '21
Major: Information technology management
“I want to undertake graduate work primarily to attain additional skills to become a well-rounded and robust software engineer. I believe continuous learning enables computing professionals to invent and optimize existing technical systems. Graduate work will help me fill any knowledge gaps in my software engineering career.”
Hannah Lyons
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer science
Current position: Computer scientist, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Maryland
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech '21
Major: Biochemistry
Minors: Computer science and chemistry
“I have grown fascinated by data analytics and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a brilliant simulation of human intelligence processes by computer systems. It is one thing to read about others' contributions in this field, but to be a contributor myself would be beyond gratifying.”
Dane Sebring
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer engineering
Current position: Special Projects Team Leader, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Undergraduate: Northeastern University '21
Major: Information technology
“In the early days of classical computing, the field was dominated by engineers with rigid educational pedigrees. We have an opportunity to upend that archetype by employing many of the same non-traditional leadership principles that I use on my team in the Army. Once I finish the program, I plan to combine cross-discipline experience from seven Middle East deployments with formal engineering knowledge gained throughout graduate school.”
Faaria Syed
Innovation Campus degree: Master of Engineering in computer engineering
Current position: Controls engineer, M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons Corner
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech '23
Major: Computer engineering
“Networking with people in the field will allow me to stay up to date with the latest trends and advancements in the industry, enabling me to collaborate with others to develop new technologies and solutions. I plan to take advantage of any internships or industry partnerships that will give me the chance to work alongside professionals in the field, applying the knowledge I acquire in the classroom to real-world problems.”
