Vallie Joseph comes to Marist from Tampa, Florida and takes on a lofty course load. As a computer science major with a concentration in software development, Vallie also has three minors: information technology, information science, and game design & emerging media. Last fall, at IBM’s 2016 TechConnect competition, her group took home a win in the Early Tenure, Best Solutions category for their CyberSecurity project.

What does it mean to you to have won the competition?
Winning the competition was equal parts rewarding and encouraging. Being able to present the work that my colleagues and I completed over the summer was an amazing experience on its own, however, when combined with receiving an award from the competition, I felt a sense of accomplishment and deep appreciation for both the Marist-IBM Joint Study and individuals who work there.

What is your most significant memory/lesson learned from the whole experience?
My most significant lesson learned would be that hard work and dedication pays off. Once you find a career path that lines up with your personal goals, and you work every day to achieve your dreams, your dedication will reward you in the future.

What is it like to be a female in a male-dominated field and major?
Personally, I have yet to experience anything remotely negative in the field of Computer Science that has been directly tied to my gender. I have found that many of my peers tend to be highly cooperative, attentive and always give everyone a chance to share their ideas or possible solutions.

What piece of advice would you give to incoming computer science students?
No matter what, always persevere and see projects all the way until the end. Sometimes it's not until the last iteration that you think of something creative or more efficient to add to your work.

Written by Sarah Gabrielli '18