Weilai
Hua '02 (left) and Sadia Sharmin '02 each have a full-tuition
scholarship at MHC thanks to Microsoft.
Each year, Microsoft awards a full-tuition scholarship to a Mount Holyoke student making progress toward a degree in computer science or a related technical discipline. This year, Weilai Hua '02 and Sadia Sharmin '02 each received the competitive award in what scholarship officials deemed a notable exception to the rule. "It's rare that we award two to one college, but if we have strong applicants, sometimes we can get approval for two," said Heather Craswell, a recruiting coordinator for Microsoft. In addition to lauding Hua's and Sharmin's strengths, she credits Robert Weaver, Kennedy-Schelkunoff Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, with helping to ensure quality applicants from MHC.
Weilai Hua, a native of
China, who has accepted an internship position at Microsoft, took a
leap into computer science in her first year at MHC. "I was totally
illiterate in computer science when I came to this school," she says,
noting that even email was alien to her. But her first experience in
a MHC computer programming class was transforming. "I found myself
very comfortable at programming, and that was the first time I
realized that I'd found the greatest match in my life." A computer
science major, she is committed to working as a software developer in
the future and is eager to explore other topics in the meantime, such
as psychology, math, and Japanese language. This summer, Hua will
work as a software design engineer at Microsoft, helping to create
tools to test and improve products. Like Hua, Sadia Sharmin
interviewed for a summer intern position with Microsoft during the
company's annual College recruitment visit in November. Sharmin was
flown out to Seattle for a final-round interview in February, before
learning of her scholarship award. In May, she will begin working as
software test engineer with Microsoft Network Developer. "The people
who interviewed me made me feel very comfortable and were more
interested in getting to know me than in intimidating me," says
Sharmin. She notes that she was asked "brain teasers, questions on
how I would handle different situations, and a few programming
questions." The key to such an interview, Sharmin advises, "is to ask
a lot of questions, to really get to know about what you'll be
required to do as an intern, and to be confident while answering." A native of Bangladesh,
Sharmin is majoring in computer science and economics. "I think Mount
Holyoke has an awesome computer science department," she says. She is
particularly impressed with the "extensive research that students in
the past have undertaken, especially in the field of artificial
intelligence under the guidance of Professor Claude L. Fennema." She
is considering doing research in this field for her senior thesis. Microsoft internship
recruiters have made annual visits to Mount Holyoke for the past few
years. The company awards full scholarships at a variety of colleges
around the United States for women and minorities. This year,
students at fourteen colleges will be receiving scholarships. In
addition, Microsoft awards a single national $1,000 scholarship,
available to women or minorities from any college in the United
States. The two winners
will receive a one-year full-tuition scholarship at Mount Holyoke,
which is renewable if a high grade point average is maintained and
the recipient wishes to reapply. To apply, students must be enrolled
in their sophomore or junior year and must maintain a 3.0 grade point
average. Microsoft internship positions may be offered in conjunction
with the scholarships, if the applicant has applied for both.
photo by Fred
LeBlanc
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