{"674566":{"#nid":"674566","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Former Teaching Assistant and Student Embark on OMSCS Journey Together","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDhara Shah and Amber Wells, once a teaching assistant (TA) and undergraduate student respectively at Georgia State University (GSU), are now tackling Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/omscs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOnline Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS)\u003C\/a\u003E program together.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough their individual paths are different, their support for one another has been invaluable as they pursue common goals of advancing their computer science (CS) skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir journey began amidst the Covid-19 pandemic when universities worldwide grappled with the sudden shift to remote instruction.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShah and Wells connected in a system-level programming class, where Shah served as a TA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Two weeks later, we were all quarantined because Covid hit,\u0022 Shah said. \u0022Amber sent me an email saying, \u0027Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re in this together.\u0027 As a student, you can relate to other students, no matter what level they are.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe pair supported each other throughout the class. In December 2021, Shah graduated with her Ph. D. while Wells graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in CS.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA couple of years later, the two reconnected over LinkedIn and discovered they had both decided to continue their education. Their synchronous paths converged again, this time in Georgia Tech\u0027s OMSCS program.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Wells, the decision to pursue further education stemmed from a desire to bridge the diversity gap in artificial intelligence (AI), a field she became increasingly passionate about.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShah says she missed school and wanted to keep up with cutting-edge CS knowledge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor me, it\u2019s not about the degree,\u201d Shah said. \u201cIt\u2019s more about belonging to a crowd I can grow with, where I can accept my mistakes and learn.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWells works as an application developer at Georgia Tech, while Shah is a data scientist at Cox Communications. With shared challenges of balancing demanding work schedules and rigorous coursework, both found solace in their shared journey and new online community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou can make friends along the way, but joining the program with someone you know, someone you\u2019ve seen talked to before really helps,\u201d Wells said. \u201cI\u2019m also really enjoying being involved in the Discord chat, hosting study sessions, and working with my peers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite the virtual nature of their interactions, both emphasize the importance of community and support networks in navigating the OMSCS program. They have found ways to foster connections and camaraderie, transcending the digital divide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Amber is my accountability buddy and the best one that I have,\u0022 Shah said, highlighting the pivotal role Wells played in guiding her through tasks like class selection. Meanwhile, Shah is helpful with nuances of code and edge cases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs they finish their first semester of the program together, Shah and Wells advise prospective OMSCS students to take time off from work for exam days, spend at least 30 minutes a day on coursework, and have accountability buddies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGo ahead and try it. The program is much more affordable than others out there,\u201d Wells said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really nice to meet other people doing this program to reach their goals.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOMSCS will host its annual conference virtually and in person from April 29 \u2013 May 1. This year, the program is celebrating its 10th anniversary. More information about the conference\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/omscs.gatech.edu\/attending-2024-omscs-conference\u0022\u003Ecan be found here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOriginally meeting at GSU prior to the pandemic, friends Dhara and Amber recently reconnected as students enrolled in Georgia Tech\u0027s groundbreaking Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Originally meeting at GSU prior to the pandemic, these friends recently reconnected as Georgia Tech online students."}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2024-05-07 16:18:07","changed_gmt":"2024-05-28 15:21:36","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-05-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-05-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673955":{"id":"673955","type":"image","title":"Amber Wells is a student in Georgia Tech\u0027s OMSCS program","body":null,"created":"1715098703","gmt_created":"2024-05-07 16:18:23","changed":"1715098703","gmt_changed":"2024-05-07 16:18:23","alt":"Amber Wells is a student in Georgia Tech\u0027s OMSCS program","file":{"fid":"257414","name":"amber2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/amber2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/amber2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":53064,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/07\/amber2.jpg?itok=um1tl_AH"}},"673956":{"id":"673956","type":"image","title":"Dhara Shah is finishing her first semester enrolled in Georgia Tech\u0027s OMSCS program","body":null,"created":"1715098764","gmt_created":"2024-05-07 16:19:24","changed":"1715098764","gmt_changed":"2024-05-07 16:19:24","alt":"Dhara Shah is finishing her first semester enrolled in Georgia Tech\u0027s OMSCS program","file":{"fid":"257415","name":"dharacopy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/dharacopy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/dharacopy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":34620,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/07\/dharacopy.jpg?itok=nTUmEK2Z"}},"673957":{"id":"673957","type":"image","title":"OMSCS 10-year anniversary graphic banner","body":null,"created":"1715098841","gmt_created":"2024-05-07 16:20:41","changed":"1715098841","gmt_changed":"2024-05-07 16:20:41","alt":"OMSCS 10-year anniversary graphic banner","file":{"fid":"257416","name":"OMSCS10 copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/OMSCS10%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/05\/07\/OMSCS10%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":29491,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/05\/07\/OMSCS10%20copy.jpg?itok=Z_YnKrPh"}}},"media_ids":["673955","673956","673957"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"431631","name":"OMS"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"181991","name":"Georgia Tech News Center"},{"id":"180354","name":"omscs anniversary"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmily Smith, Communications Officer\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech School of Computing Instruction\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eemily.smith@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}