MONROE, LA – Naresh Chhetri and Abhishek Amgain, international students from Nepal, and computer science majors at ULM, created a computer science workshop for high school freshmen as part of their work with the ULM TRiO Programs. Pushkar Kandel, international student from Nepal and mathematics/actuarial science major, assisted with the creation of the workshop. All three have held campus jobs as tutors for ULM’s TRiO participants. On March 14, 2024, they presented the computer science workshop to TRiO staff and received excellent reviews. Chhetri and Amgain will now pilot the workshop in selected ninth-grade robotics, math, and science classrooms in TRiO Educational Talent Search’s target area schools.
Amgain stated, “I believe this workshop helps students raise awareness about the importance of computer science and its impact on students’ future. This workshop helps students to understand different opportunities available to them inside the tech field and make decisions about their career paths.”
“Picture computer science as a superpower – the ability to turn numbers and logic into incredible inventions! Just like how math helps us understand the world, learning computer science helps us change it for the better,” said Kandel.
The objective of this TRiO ETS initiative is to encourage young students to explore careers in the rapidly growing technology industry and to educate students in the STEM fields, with a particular focus on computer science and career exploration. The freshman-level workshop will highlight areas of computer science, including software engineering, programming languages and coding, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, cryptography, cybersecurity, and more, including careers in these fields. Students will be encouraged to select the proper high school mathematics courses in order to prepare for a career in computer science.
“We’re excited to introduce students to the transformative world of computer science! Our workshop aims to spark curiosity and show them the exciting career possibilities in the ever-evolving tech industry,” said Chhetri.
ULM hosts three federally-funded TRiO Programs: Student Support Services (SSS), which serves college students; Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS), which assists college students who are parents with their child care costs and parenting skills; and Educational Talent Search (ETS), which serves junior high and high school students. The goal of TRiO programs is to increase the number of underrepresented, disadvantaged, or first-generation individuals who persist and graduate from high school and college. TRiO participants must meet federal eligibility requirements. ULM TRiO ETS has been assisting area students for more than 35 years. For more information about Talent Search, contact Mrs. Debbie Upshaw at (318)342-1094, or visit https://www.ulm.edu/research/trio/talent search.html