5 Towson University Students Receive $25,000 in Scholarships from Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum

From The Mid- Atlantic CIO: The Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum has awarded five Towson University students $25,000 in scholarships for the spring 2017 academic term. The Forum’s award recognizes seniors Soheil Aliakbar and Hammad Imran, juniors Sabina Mae Aguon and Kathryn White, and sophomore Anthony Panei.

Aguon is a Computer Science and Mathematics major who is a member of the Cyber Defense Club and Filipino Cultural Association. She is also a member of the Software Engineering Club and currently serves as a project manager as well as the club’s vice president of public relations where she manages the marketing, recruitment, philanthropy, and company sponsorships for the club. After obtaining her degree, she aspires to become an officer in the field of Information Technology for the United States Airforce. Aguon is a Towson resident.

Aliakbar, who hails from Gaithersburg, is a Computer Information Systems major and was recently accepted into the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program where he led a usability study on three different contactless fingerprint scanners for the Visualization and Usability Group and received an award for his outstanding presentation. After graduation, Aliakbar hopes to be accepted into the Pathways program at NIST to continue working on usability projects.

Imran is a third time recipient of the scholarship and is an Information Technology major and Business Administration minor. Over the summer, he worked as a technical intern at Northrop Grumman with the Department of Homeland Security where he worked on upgrading the legacy servers that support Customs and Border Patrol. Imran says the assignment greatly aided in developing and strengthening his coding skills. As a result of his diligent work at his internship, he has been offered a full time position as a cyber security contractor upon his graduation in the spring of 2017. Imran is from Waldorf, Maryland.

Panei is a Computer Science major who has always had an interest in creating and designing software. He aspires to design battlespace simulations for the Department of Defense – an interest inspired by tours of the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County, MD. Panei currently works as a lead student trainer for the Supercomputing Internship program at NAS. He is also a member of the Towson University Marching Band where he plays the mellophone. He is from Hollywood, Maryland.

White, from Hampstead, Maryland, is an Information Technology major who currently works as a help desk associate for Carroll County Public Schools’ IT department. Her employment with CCPS has provided her with the opportunity to work on various projects, such as assisting in the migration of Windows 2003 servers to Windows 2012, which has helped her to define the focus of her learning at TU. After graduation, she hopes to find a job as a systems administrator and would love to design a program for elementary school students that would teach them about learning basic programming skills, with a focus on inspiring female students to become interested in IT or other STEM fields.

“We had a great mix of Computer and Information Science majors, as well as men and women this year. They were all outstanding. The final selections was a real challenge,” said Tom Lonegro, CIO Forum member who served on the scholarship selection committee.

In addition to providing scholarships, CIO Forum members are actively engaged with the students. The award recipients will have the opportunity to participate in Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum meetings during the fall term.

“Because of the Forum’s generosity, five students will benefit from both a substantial financial award and the unique opportunity to meet and network with professionals in their desired professional field. Our partnership with them is extremely valuable and deeply appreciated,” said S. Maggie Reitz, Vice Provost.

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