Career Voices

member of VSU’s Honda Campus All Star Team. In addition, Haye is involved within her major through participation in the National Society of Black Engineers. Her faculty reference described her as having “excellent leadership skills and taking the initiative to be very helpful to other students and her professors.”

VIVINE ISHIMWE

Vivine Ishimwe, an international cadet from Rwanda, is a cyber systems major. her interest in STEM started when she was 10 years old. “I just wanted to prove a point that women belong in STEM,” Ishimwe said. When she was in primary school, she told her teacher that she wanted to be a doctor and he told her, “women are not a good fit for science and are not smart enough to treat people.” Ishimwe used this comment as motivation and began competing with the boys in her class for grades. Since then, she started taking science classes. She joined science clubs and participated in different science projects. Most of the time, she was the only female in science classes which was challenging, but she said she enjoyed every second of her journey because it served as a great learning experience. Along with four of her classmates Ishimwe built a web application called CadetChat where cadets can post memes and funny pictures. She also worked on a project called “change counter” where she designed and built an automated device that can count and sort coins in accordance with their size.

Ishimwe has written a number of different research papers including “The Impacts of Health Information Being Shared on Social Media Platforms by Healthcare Providers,” where she briefly explained how the rapid development of communication technologies and social media among healthcare providers raises potential privacy issues for patients. She also wrote a paper called, “Cyber Incidents Affecting Healthcare and Public Health Sector” where she did a situational assessment of how cyber incidents affected a hospital. Currently, Ishimwe is working on an advanced cyber systems research project, where she and three other cadets and are building an image recognition application that will Identify military insignias on buildings and vehicles. She is also pursuing research in one of the maritime cybersecurity topics where she will be researching how cybercriminals exploit maritime cyber security vulnerabilities. “In the future, I want to continue to pursue a STEM career as a software engineer, Ishimwe said. “My ultimate goal is to continue learning, researching, and finding different ways to be more innovative.”

JARVIS PREWITT

Jarvis Prewitt has always had a passion for math and science, therefore choosing a career path was a no brainer. He plans to impact today’s society by bringing innovative STEM ideas and opportunities back to the Magic City of Birmingham, Alabama to promote diversity and representation. Being Black in the engineering field is rare,therefore, being a mechanical engineer will allow him to be a role model to young black men and inspire them to continue their future engineering journey. He is a brave and fearless individual,well-spoken, and a team player that will lead to change within the community and beyond. Prewitt hopes to be on the frontlines to serve in his community. A major goal of his is to give back to the community where he onced lived in Birmingham. He stated that spreading knowledge, showing affection, and putting smiles on the great civilian faces of his community is all it takes to change someone’s life.

TARAMI READUS

Tarami Readus is in his 4th year in the electrical engineering program at the University of Houston, and currently maintains a 3.5 GPA. He has been active in student organizations on campus since his freshman year, including the National Society of Black Engineers, the National Action Council for

Top to bottom: Kailyn S. Haye, Vivine Ishimwe, and Jarvis Prewitt

Minority Engineers, and the Program for Mastery in Engineering Studies. He is passionate about the intersection between technology and business and aspires to be a product manager. In his free time, he enjoys performing with his African Drum ensemble and playing the trumpet.

KHALEL DREW ROBINSON

Khalel Drew Robinsonis a third-year student at Virginia State University (VSU) where he is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology (BS). He is a member of the Honors College and has been recognized as a VSU STEAM Scholar for his continuous outstanding academic achievements. Khalel has participated as an undergraduate research assistant in investigating methods of metal additive manufacturing. He has also interned with the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) on the Surface Engineering Team. On campus, Khalel has participated in many leadership activities including being a department ambassador, parliamentarian, and treasurer of the VSU chapter of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), historian of the Beta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the chair of the VSU chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He decided to focus on mechanical engineering technology due to his passion for hands-on work where theory can be applied to meet everyday needs and demands in the community. He is intentional about demonstrating commitment and excellence for his peers and increasing the awareness and access to STEM opportunities. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he intends to apply to graduate school to further his knowledge and advanced skills for engineering in research and development and fabrication.

CHANTELLE WILLIAMS

Chantelle Williams is a twenty-oneyear-old junior double majoring in mechanical engineering and mathematics at Alabama A&M University. Upon graduation, she plans on using the knowledge and skills in the aerospace engineering career field. “I decided to go into the STEM career field after the movie Hidden Figureswas was produced. This movie highlighted the lives of three incredible female mathematicians: Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan,” Williams said. “It was not until 2017, one year prior to graduating high school, that I had received any knowledge about who these women were and what their contributions to society were. This is because unlike women such as Rosa Parks, Bessie Coleman, and Sojourner Truth, they were not spotlighted in our history books but should have been.”

Williams is active in a number of activities on campus such as the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, AAMU Bulldog VETS, AAMU Rocket Team, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She is also the president of the National Society of Black Engineers Outside of Alabama A&M University, she serves in the United States Air Force Reserve. She is the president of an organization known as Airman Committed to Excellence or ACE. With this organization, she is involved in volunteering at the Children’s Specialty Hospital as well as March of Dimes. Upon the completion of her contract and degree, she plans on becoming an Officer as a Developmental Engineer. “I love to lead, motivate, and inspire others,” Williams said. “I hope that I can use my positive energy and attitude to encourage others to actively participate within their communities as well as to better them in positive ways.” S

Top to bottom: Tarami Readus, Khalel Drew Robinson, and Chantelle Williams

Hear from some of our past Student Leadership award winners by watching this video: https://youtu.be/wHUd5N2GrSE