3rd Annual Raju Patnam Computer Science Scholarship Recipients

Sarah Buford is this year's scholarship recipient. Sarah is currently a junior at Wofford, majoring in computer science and minoring in accounting. In addition, she works as a tutor in Wofford's computer science lab in her free time. Her eloquence when answering the behavioral questions and her ability to clearly articulate her thoughts while writing code during the technical interview set her apart from other applicants.

Sarah had a few thoughts about the scholarship process. "Applying for the Raju Patnam Computer Science Award was a very rewarding experience, especially since it provided an opportunity to be mentored by Natham Patnam. I am very grateful for his career advice and tips on how to apply for internships and jobs. I know this experience will help me in my future career and in pursuing a Master's in computer science after I graduate from Wofford. I am so grateful for having had this experience, and I know this scholarship will continue to touch the lives of students in the future!"

The honorary award recipient is Sara Burns Gibson. Sara is a sophomore at Wofford, majoring in computer science and Spanish. She stood out based on her eagerness to take in feedback, how she came up with multiple solutions during the technical interview, and her passion for creating technology to solve real-world problems.

She said "The scholarship process benefited me in many more ways than just a scholarship. Nathan met with all of us one-on-one several times throughout the process to critique/edit our resumes, practice technical interviews, and provide mentorship for summer internships. Whenever I left a meeting with Nathan, I felt equipped with more tools to conquer the CS interview processes and the technological world. I cannot thank him enough! This summer, I plan on returning to Microsoft for a software engineer apprenticeship where I will work alongside an actual MSFT365 team working on real projects for them! I am more than excited and now prepared, thanks to Nathan. After graduation, I would love to become a software engineer who works with AI creating new technology. Thank you again to Nathan and the entire scholarship crew!"

This year's second interview had a technical interview component. Many applicants had never done this before, so I first walked each applicant through two practice problems and then had them work out a third one independently. Seeing every applicant find the most optimal solution or make a lot of progress was awesome. I wish this were something I had when I was a student :).

Stay tuned for news about our upcoming programs.