New Boeing Scholars share why they chose the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus for their M.Eng degree

Lydia Fahey

Five of the nine spring 2024 Boeing Scholars. From left: Lamice AlBaayno, Merna Khamis, Kevin Lizarazu, Chase Thorpe, and Francisca Wood.

When considering pursing an advanced degree, students often find themselves listing the benefits of a particular degree or university. To help prospective students get a feel for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus experience, we asked five of our newest Boeing Scholars why they returned to school for their Master of Engineering degree.

For Merna Khamis, returning to school was a chance to focus solely on artificial intelligence.

“I think it's important to focus on making AI accessible for everybody. It's their right to have complete access,” said Khamis, who is Egyptian-American. “Most of the AI services right now are not accessible for non-English speakers. We need to be more aware that we’re all different and have unique needs.”

Khamis is a full-time student in the first semester of her program. She earned a degree in geology from her home country before ultimately pursuing her bachelor’s at Virginia Tech. There, she majored in computer science and minored in human-computer interaction. To Khamis, returning to Virginia Tech for an advanced degree was a no-brainer.

“Virginia Tech is full of resources and the students are amazing too,” Khamis said. “I feel like I’m learning everything that I needed to prepare me for work after graduation. The faculty encourage us to network and prepare us for the industry. Virginia Tech will be always the right choice.”

For Chase Thorpe, after having worked in the tech industry since separating from the Navy in 2020, it felt like the right time.

“I’m planning to pursue more senior roles, and I didn’t want to seek out those positions without a master’s degree,” said Thorpe, who is employed full-time as a software engineer for the U.S. Department of State. “With a higher degree, you can get an edge on the competition. Couple that with a degree from Virginia Tech and you’re getting the best education from a well-structured curriculum.”

Kevin Lizarazu-Ampuero returned to Virginia Tech to pursue his Master of Engineering for the same reason. “I went to Virginia Tech as an undergraduate and got my bachelor’s in computer engineering with a focus in software systems and machine learning. Its engineering reputation is known worldwide, so it was the best option for me.”

Two other factors played a role in Lizarazu-Ampuero’s decision: finances and the Virginia Tech community. His parents live locally in Northern Virginia, so he lives with them to save money while he completes the program. The proximity of home and school to the city makes it easier for him to see his friends.

“I have a lot of friends from undergrad who now work in the area, too, so I have my community close to me,” Lizarazu-Ampuero said. “I knew when I started my degree that I’d be in class with some impressive students. Right now, I'm in a professionalism and ethics class. Not only are my classmates capable in our computer science courses, but we’re able to have meaningful conversations about other topics, too. That's something I value most. Nothing beats the homeyness of Virginia Tech, and the Innovation Campus community is just an extension of that.”

The Innovation Campus’ community was a determinant selling point for two other Boeing Scholars, Lamice AlBaayno and Francisca Wood.

AlBaayno was born in Virginia but studied at the Université Paris-Saclay in France, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science. “I decided to go to Virginia Tech because the professors are researchers, so they work in the industry and continue to make a difference. Just being around these people – even if it's not working with them directly but being able to talk to them and see them in this space – is impressive.”

One of the most unique aspects of her education, AlBaayno says, is that the professors teach real-world applications in their courses. “In my prototyping and project management course, our professors said up front that they didn’t want to teach a course where we write papers. They asked us what we wanted to achieve from this class and, they’re teaching us exactly what we’re going to use once we graduate.”

Wood, who graduated from George Mason University with a double major in bioengineering and neuroscience, looks at tech through the lens of, ‘how can I use it to improve my community’?

“I'm very passionate about advocating for women and diversity in technology and engineering,” said Wood, who credits her academic advisor, Alexis Snyder, for supporting her through her first semester. “As a Hispanic woman, I’ve not seen many people in this field who look like me. So being an advocate for women who come after me is a huge passion of mine. Technology has the capability to uplift everybody, and we have a responsibility to improve the lives of those around us.”

Why attend the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus? Take it from Khamis: “Virginia Tech feels like home.”

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.

The Innovation Campus is committed to equipping graduates to become leaders in their careers while helping them gain real-world experience solving urgent challenges alongside researchers, industry executives, and national policymakers. With a research focus on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Wireless and Next Gen Technology, Quantum Information Science, and Intelligent Interfaces, the Campus is powering a pipeline of premier tech talent and building the foundation for a new era of technology.